


Flickering Flame

by WinteryFall



Series: Elementals [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe, Amnesia, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Biting, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Dysfunctional Relationships, Elemental Magic, Fights, Fire, Flashbacks, Guilt, Intimacy, Lightning - Freeform, M/M, Mental Instability, Moodswings, Mystery, Neck Kissing, One-Sided Attraction, One-sided Ulquiorra/Grimmjow, Panic Attacks, Possessive Behavior, Sacrifice, Self-Esteem Issues, Torture, Which is exactly what Grimmjow needs, complicated relationship, ichigo is a stubborn mule, painful childhood, temper problems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2018-03-10
Packaged: 2019-02-11 19:03:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 180,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12941709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinteryFall/pseuds/WinteryFall
Summary: A year after his initial encounter with the reckless, crazy lightning elemental, Ichigo ends up in a situation nobody ever expected; His memory gone, and with a strange inability to control his powers properly. In order to uncover what happened to him,  Kurosaki is forced to work with the man who doesn't seem to know himself if he likes or hates Ichigo, sending the officer mixed signals.





	1. Lost and found

**Author's Note:**

> So, here it comes; the beginning of a sequel to my Blazing Thunder fic.  
> More aggressive lightning-powered Grimmjow, and the walking candle named Ichigo Kurosaki.  
> I recommend reading the Blazing Thunder first before beginning this one, as you WILL NOT get what is going on otherwise.
> 
> More tags will be added as the story progresses.

It was dark around him.

Night-time on an empty road with no light, except the moon.

He had no idea where he was, or why.

All he could remember was running.

From where? From whom? He had no idea.

The lonely figure kept walking across the road, shuddering due to the cold. He had no shoes on, nor socks, so the bare skin of his feet touched the chilly surface of the pavement. The hoodie he wore was torn and dirty, and he had minor cuts and bruises all over his body. Why, he did not know that either.

The figure stops and leans against a tree just to catch his breath.

He gazes up at the moon, trying to make sense to his hazed mind. Nothing. His brain remained blank of the events that had happened before this empty roadside, other than a feeling of utter dread.

Suddenly, there is a sound.

A car.

Normally, one would be happy to hear that sound, stranded in an unknown place like this, but he felt dread creep up into his mind, and he sprints into the woods, hiding into a small trench as his heart raced a mile a minute. Soon enough, headlights illuminate the area behind him, and he remains quiet, waiting for the vehicle to pass. It creeps past the spot he was hiding, as if looking for something.

He closes his eyes and curls up into a ball, praying in his head he would not be spotted. After a moment, the car accelerates and he’s soon left into darkness again. He remains sitting there for a while longer, then gets up shakily, not knowing what to do. He would not go to the direction the car went; his gut instinct told him the car was looking for him. He couldn’t go to the opposite direction either, for that was where it had come from.

Left with no further options, he heads deeper into the forest, ignoring the way his feet prickled unpleasantly as he stepped on pine needles, rocks, and other tiny sharp fragments.

It did not take long for his feet to start bleeding. This was a bad idea. If there were predators nearby, they could perhaps smell the blood. He became wary of every sound he heard now, jumping as something snapped somewhere, as if a branch had been stepped on. Without even thinking, he starts running across the nightly woods, not really knowing where he was going.

He stumbled his way through the foliage, nearly tripping on roots and fallen branches, slipping on leaves at times. His heart raced a mile a minute, and his vision began to turn blurry; he was losing blood from his injuries, and his body had felt weak to begin with. This was very bad. Eventually, he slumps to the ground, unable to continue. He vaguely realizes that he’d reached another road.

There was a sign up ahead, but his vision was too blurry to read it.

There was a noise, and headlights. He was too tired to move, and just watched helplessly as a car drove to him, stopping nearby. A figure emerged from the vehicle, but he was too exhausted to see clearly, and the person’s features were hidden in shadows due to the bright light behind them.

He just gazes up dully as the figure stops beside him.

Last thing he saw was blue amongst the shadows.

 

 

 

There was a slight buzzing feeling on his head, like he’d drunk too much last night.

It did not make sense for he couldn’t remember drinking.

Then, he realized he couldn’t remember _anything_ at all really.

He shifts, realizing that he was lying on something softer than the ditch next to a road.

Something was poking at his side, something like a needle. It should hurt, but didn’t.

Cracking his eyes open, all he saw at first was the wooden ceiling. As the needle touched his skin again, he directs his still blurry gaze towards the sensation. There was a man sitting beside him. He was lying on a bed, and there was a stranger, currently stitching the wound on his side closed while casually smoking a cigarette.

It was so typically obnoxious, he thought, then wondered why that was his first reaction; the young man had no clue who the guy was.

The man doesn’t seem to notice him being awake, as he just keeps on focusing on the injury, at times lifting his other hand away to snatch the cigarette off his lips to blow some smoke away, dropping the ashes to the floor beside the bed. At least he had the decency to not drop them on him, which felt like something he should have done.

It was another weird thought.

Weird because he had no context for it, for why he thought about it like this.

The young man knew he should just be glad somebody bothered to help him.

Except, he did not know who the man was, nor what his motivation was.

Why was he concerned about that? It felt more than just some sort of common suspicion. The man eventually finishes dressing the injury and puts the medic kit away by literally just kicking it in the corner carelessly.

It rubbed him the wrong way, but the young man did not know why.

Finally, the stranger turns to look at him, a frown on his face. His expression was....weird.

It was not quite concerned, but definitely displeased about something.

”Morning. Ya look like shit.”

The young man wants to huff - another reflexive response he did not know why he wanted to make - but he just stares at his savior, not really knowing what to do.

”Most people woulda at least thank me, but I suppose yer brain is still too mauled to process anything.” The man chuckles after a moment, blowing some smoke out from his lungs, thankfully not on his face though.

”Where am I?”

His voice sounded...quieter?

He was fairly sure he did not whisper like this normally.

It was again some sort of gut instinct that told him that rather than concrete knowledge.

”Rukongai.”

_Rukongai?_

His brain was blank regarding to his past and identity, but the young man knew that town was bad news. It was riddled with crime and gangs, a place that he knew he should not be anywhere near off. At least...not like this.

”....Who are you?”

The man gazes at him for a moment with a strange look on his eyes, then snorts, brushing trough his spiky blue hair. It was unusually colored, but strangely suited him, complementing the sharp blue eyes he also had. It was also....familiar somehow.

”It did look pretty bad.....” The man muses more to himself than his patient, rubbing his eyes.

The young man turns his gaze away, biting his lip uneasy. There was something about this man that made him nervous; as if some sort of instinct telling him he could be in danger. The same time, another part of him was having a different reaction, tugging at the back of his head to try and get him to remember something.

”I....can’t remember anything. Do I ... know you?”

The blunet lifts eyebrow at that.

”So you...really can’t fuckin’ remember?” He sounded baffled, perhaps slight bit offended too, which unnerved the ginger a bit.

His hair was standing to its end as if to warn him about a danger. The man made no move to hurt him or do anything for that matter, so the young man had no clue why his brain was going haywire.

”Anything....I can’t....remember anything.” The young man mumbles, gazing out from the window to escape the piercing blue eyes. Based on how the sky was dark, it was likely still night-time. There weren’t many people out in the streets right now, aside from few late night drunks.

”.....Well there was an injury on yer head. Might explain it.” The man mutters out holding his chin, seemingly talking more to himself again then the male in his bed.

Reaching up, the younger male realizes there was indeed a bandage around his head too. Turning his brown eyes back at the stranger, he felt a strange mix of thankfulness and confusion in his mind. Why this stranger would help him? Why did he still feel tense despite seemingly being in apparent safety?

The man blows out some smoke and rubs his temple with a frustrated sigh as if thinking what to do next.

”Thank you for helping me.” The young man felt like he should probably say that, even if he did not really know of the man’s motives.

The blue eyes zero in on him again, and there was a hint of amusement in them now. The man snorts and rolls his eyes, muttering about prudes and goody two shoes or something under his breath. This made the young man frown, not liking to be called prude. It was only common decency to thank someone for their help. He says nothing however, just leans back against the pillows as he still felt exhausted.

”Tsch. I suppose I owe ya one bed-hogging night given how often I hogged yer couch.” The man snorts, making the young man frown at the comment.

Before he could ask what the man meant, the weight of his exhaustion and injuries starts coming back and his eyes slip closed.

Last thing he registered was the man pulling out a phone and typing something to someone.

 

 

 

_Why was it that he kept ending up in situations like this? Ichigo thought to himself, while holding his side that was bleeding pretty badly._

_He was currently hiding in a small room at a secret basement of a dusty old warehouse, hiding from a bunch of angry folk trying to positively murder his ass._

_They’d tracked down a lead regarding to Aizen that had brought them to this abandoned factory outside Rukongai, a small, grime-covered city south-east of Hueco Mundo. Unfortunately, it had been a trap and he was now stuck in the lower levels, in the hidden floor that had once been used for some of Aizen’s experiments, but was now like a murder maze for the guys who patrolled there._

_He’d gotten separated from Renji who’d come there with him, and their path out was blocked as the men had shut down the only way out from this concrete walled bunker beneath the factory._

_Ichigo curses again as he attempts to stop the bleeding on his side by wrapping a torn sleeve around it. He had to come up with something and fast. His fire was powerful, but not hot enough to melt concrete walls, let alone a six inch thick steel door, at least not quickly enough - that was still a work in process, as he never had enough time with the door before one of those fuckers would try to shoot him. Ichigo manages to get up and take an inventory on the room he was in. It looked like another old lab with broken test-tubes and smashed computer monitors._

_However, as he looks more closely, the fiery haired male realizes there was an old map on the wall; it was the layout of the bunker level. He limps there, biting his lip to not groan as his ankle and side ached. He already knew where the door he’d come in from was, but looking the map closely, Ichigo realizes there was another way out._

_A small, hidden emergency exit was marked on the map, on the southwest corner of the complex. It was directly across from him, which meant pretty far away, but Ichigo had a feeling that door was not six inches of pure steel. Now, if only he could contact Renji; their radios did not work this deep underground. He had no clue where exactly his partner was. Ichigo could not stop but worry a little._

_While he knew Renji was tough, these guys were not messing around, and the redhead pineapple was one of his closest friends._

_Suddenly, there was noise on the corridor leading up to the closed door of the room, and Ichigo turned around, holding his gun ready in one hand, and preparing a flame in other._

_He’d really been having trouble with his elemental powers lately, almost if he could not quite control them anymore._

_Sometimes the flares flickered weaker than he needed; other times they packed way more punch than intended._

_It was frustrating as all hell._

_Something hit against the door with such force that it swung open, and Ichigo had to dodge away as the projectile flew right across the room and against the opposite wall, crashing against the map Ichigo had just been looking at._

_It was one of the men that had been circling around the complex; he was out cold, his entire body charred as bits of blue sparkles danced around him._

_Blue sparkles?_

_Ichigo scrambles upright and stares at the door, as a familiar figure steps in, hands lazily in his pockets as they often were._

_”Yo. Fancy seeing you here.”_

_He was wearing a blue hoodie tugged over his head, on top of the same grey beanie Ichigo had seen him wear quite a few times already._

_This could have been a shock to anyone else, but Ichigo was so used to running into this crazy bastard so many times by now, that all his reaction was, was an angry snarl._

_”The fuck was that, bastard! You almost hit me too!”_

_Ichigo hisses at him, then flinches and holds his side as it still hurt like a bitch._

_Grimmjow just walks to him, amused smirk plastered across his face._

_”Really? It’s been a month since my last visit and that’s all you got to say?”_

_The fiery haired male doesn’t respond, just pushes himself up, taking support from the wall._

_The main reason why Ichigo wasn’t too surprised to see the smug shithead there was the fact that for the past year or so, they’d ran into each other every now and then during missions, with Grimmjow annoyingly saving his ass from a pinch, like he was clearly doing now._

_How he’d known where Ichigo was exactly, he had no clue._

_It was like the interrogation room thing from when they met; Ichigo still did not know how the man had been able to see him through the one way mirror._

_”I’m already in a bad mood so I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with your dickishness right now.”_

_Ichigo huffs, biting his tongue again._

_Fuck it hurt so bad; Ichigo was fairly certain he’d have to drop by the hospital yet again if he made it out alive._

_Glancing at Grimmjow, who just stood there with the usual smug grin on his face, Ichigo had to retract his sentence a bit._

_He’d drop by the hospital once he got out, and then **punch** that smug asshole in the face, or try anyway as the fucker was always quick to dodge the assault aimed at him. _

_And then, he’d probably kiss him._

_As much as Ichigo hated admitting this, he and Renji needed help, and dammit, Grimmjow was like a saving grace in this case and the grinning bastard clearly knew it._

_”You got ammo left?” The man asks, and Ichigo checks his gun._

_Three bullets._

_His flames worked, occasionally, and his mind felt dizzy due to blood loss._

_”Yeah, I can handle it.”_

_The man snorts, clearly not buying it, but just turns on his heels and nods towards the door._

_”Let’s go then. I fried two others already but there’s gotta be like, six left.”_

_Ichigo nods, taking in a deep breath and steadying himself._

 

 

 

 

 

He snaps awake, heart racing erratically in his chest.

It was a bit brighter outside, and glancing at the clock on the nightstand, it was around five thirty in the morning now.

Slowly, he brings his shaky hands to his field of vision, staring at them as he tried to recall the dream he’d had. Nothing. By now it was just a distant echo in his head. As he looks around, the young man notes he was still in the stranger’s bedroom and the man had seemingly left somewhere as the house felt empty. The young man glances around, contemplating what he should do.

A rumbling sound interrupts his thoughts, and the young man looks down, noting he was hungry.

With great effort, he manages to get up from the bed and carefully tiptoe his way to the door by taking support from the wall.

He heads for the kitchen, glancing around uneasily.

He felt like he was burglar or something, taking things without permission, but he was so hungry...

Shaking his head, the ginger reaches for the fridge door and pulls it open. There wasn’t much in there aside from some alcohol, half-eaten pizza and some other things that looked like they’d gone bad. While he knew next to nothing about the blue haired resident of the house, one thing was clear already; he clearly did not pay much attention to the cleanliness of his house, given the pile of dishes on the sink, the haphazardly thrown clothes all around the apartment, and the gone bad food in the fridge. The young man sighs and reaches for the pizza, figuring it was better than nothing.

He somehow manages to find a clean plate and puts the slice on the microwave, slumping down to the kitchen chair. He still felt dizzy, likely because he hadn’t eaten since...he did not even know long ago. After the microwave beeps, he proceeds to grab the re-heated pizza. It tastes pretty bad as expected, but he near devours it anyway, feeling extremely hungry.

Once he is done, the young man brings the plate to the sink, scrunching his nose at the unwashed dishes. He was feeling much steadier now that he ate, so the young man decided to go ahead and clean them, as he highly doubted his host would anytime soon given how messy the apartment was. Perhaps it was not just his apparent general discomfort about seeing such a mess, it almost felt like he was doing the mundane task to keep himself calm. It took a while, but he was eventually done, and the sink was empty of any dirty plates and utensils.

He washes his hands to get the smell off them, and then just leans against the sink for a moment, watching the water pour down the drain in his thoughts.

He shivers lightly, as he was still only wearing his boxers and the air in the room was kind of chilly. He keeps staring at the sink, trying to call back the dream he’d had, or just anything, really.

It felt like something was knocking at the back of his head, but it refused to show itself properly; the feeling was extremely frustrating.

The young man sighs and rubs his head, mingling his fingers into his hair. Suddenly, there is a presence nearby him, and he swings around, aiming a panicked hit at whoever was lurking behind him.

A strong hand grasps his wrist easily and forces it aside; making the young man struggle against the grip, panic filling his head.

”Let go of me!” He yells in a mixture of panic and anger, bringing his free arm up to try and hit his captor.

Only that his hand was on fire.

Before he could even process the flame covered fist, that arm is captured as well and the flame snuffs out, leaving Ichigo with both of his wrists held together in front of him, with an unimpressed pair of blue eyes looking down on him.

”If you burn my place down Kurosaki, I will fuckin’ fry yer brain.”

The young man freezes, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. He shakily looks up at the owner of the house, suddenly feeling like he was trapped. It was not the words themselves.

It just....felt like he had been in this situation before. Pinned down, powerless and confused while something, or someone, more powerful than him wanted to do him harm.

For a moment they just stare at each other, until the blunet snorts and let’s go of him, reaching behind him to grasp a sake bottle from the cabinet.

”Don’t freak out if ya can’t even control your flames now.”

The man instructs him simply before walking to the table and sitting down with the liquor bottle and a glass. There was.... something familiar about this, but he could not remember what it was.

Not to mention....

”What name did you just call me?”

The man doesn’t respond right away, just downs a glass with one gulp, and something about that made him feel uneasy, almost like he didn’t like seeing the man drink so much for some reason. The glass collides with the table rather harshly, causing a noise that makes the young man jump in surprise. The blue eyes zero in on him, and the man seemed positively pissed now, making the other one back away against the kitchen sink with slight unease settling at the pit of his stomach.

”Kurosaki. That’s your fuckin’ name, numbskull.” The man grumbles at him, and then rubs his eyes and curses under his breath, clearly trying to recompose himself.

Whatever he had gone to do, it had clearly made his mood sour.

Kurosaki?

That... it did not ring a bell.

However, the young man could not deny there were strange, ghostly feelings within his head that he sensed when it came to this man. The man....he knew the blunet for sure, but from where and why, he couldn’t remember at all.

”Kurosaki, huh...” he muses out loud, gazing at his hand.

The flame that had appeared earlier...what was that?

”Ya don’t even remember that yer an elemental?”

The ginger looks up at him confused.

”What is an elemental?”

The blunet just stares at him, earlier annoyance replaced by pure shock, before he rubs his eyes again and curses even louder, clearly not liking that response. It made the younger male shift uneasily.

”What the hell happened to ya? You literally forgot everything?” The man demands from him, and he presses himself further against the sink, his skin going lightly pale as fear began to sink into him again. The angry, frustrated piercing stare aimed at him tugged something deep inside the young man’s mind, but he did not know what it was.

All he knew was the fact he wanted to run suddenly.

”Kurosaki...” The man shifts to stand up, face in a frown as he notes the panicked expression on the younger’s face, but before he could move closer, the ginger suddenly dashes towards the door, clearly forgetting he was only wearing his boxers.

He manages to bust through the door and sprint down to the street with the blunet calling out after him.

The young man doesn’t even know why he’s running, only that his instincts were suddenly screaming of danger, making him want to flee as far away from the blunet as possible. He runs across the streets of Rukongai, noting it was still dark, and frankly cold. The young man stops to suck in a deep breath on an alleyway, now hugging himself realizing that this was probably a bad idea.

He only had his boxers on, and the only thing saving him from embarrassment was the fact there were no people around.

Or so he thought.

Suddenly, there is a noise from somewhere within the alley, and the young man soon realizes he was being cornered by a group of thugs. Based on their expressions they were clearly up to no good and the young man looks around to find a place to run to. Too late, his path was blocked by two more of these guys. He glances at his hands, wondering if he could produce that strange flame from earlier.

”The hell are ya runnin’ around in an attire like that, boy?”

One of the guys asks, eyeing him from head to toe. It made the young man feel like he was a prey cornered by a group of predators, and he backs away further against the wall, not knowing what to do. Why the hell had he ran again?

”Ah well, it don’t matter, we surely can keep you company, eh?”

One of them comments with a smirk and approaches him, making the young man move and kick him in the face, before shoving another one aside, sprinting deeper into the city streets. He could hear angry shouting behind him as well as fast footsteps, indicating the group had gone after him. He stumbles across the dirty alleyways, only for his escape to be halted by a dead-end.

He spins around just as the group reaches him, and one of them throws a punch at his face, knocking him to the ground.

”Why do they always run?” One of the men complains, before kicking him hard in the stomach, sending the already injured young man fly against the trash cans, coughing out blood.

”We just wanted to have a little fun.” The slimmest male exclaims, and the group approaches him. Panic started to fill his head again, and he brings his arms up to defend himself.

Suddenly, a flame bursts out of his hands and hits the nearest guy in the face, making him stumble backwards.

For a second everyone freezes, and the group eyes him warily. He just stares at his hands, the flames flickering on them.

They looked hot but did not burn his skin at all.

What had the blue haired man said again?

Elemental?

”Fuck, you’re one of those freaks?” The slim guy exclaims, clearly freaked out like hell.

The young man manages to haul himself up, noting that the group was now wary, eyeing at their friend who was on the ground, his face scorched.

”Leave me alone.” The young man tells them sternly, or as sternly as he could with the way his body shook from cold and unease, holding his still flickering hands up as a warning.

The group backs away, allowing him to sneak past them and back to the open end of the alley. Once he was far enough, the ginger turns and sprints away. A lightning strikes on the sky and he freezes, turning his attention up to the skies. It started raining. He looks around desperately, trying to find some shelter from the rain. There was a seemingly abandoned old shop nearby, so he sprints there, managing to slip in from the half broken door. It was dark and dusty inside, but at least he was not getting bombarded by cold water from the sky anymore.

The young man slumps to the corner and curls up just to catch his breath.

His flames had snuffed out again, and his body felt drained. Another lightning outside makes him jump, and he looks around, as if expecting to find someone in there. Why that was his thought process, the young man had no clue. Eventually, he calms down enough to get up and look around. The place was mostly filled with empty shelves and boxes, but he soon spots a few leftover clothing on a shelf further away. He tugs on the clearly oversized green cardigan, which on top of being too big, was likely for a woman.

He did not care right now, as it helped to ward off the cold air.

Looking around some more, the young man soon regretted his decision on dashing out without at least having socks on; the floor was littered with glass shards and other shrapnel, and his feet were soon hurting with dozens of scraping injuries, forcing him to sit back down, leaning against the cashier counter to check on his feet. They were pretty bad, dozens of small cuts on the bottom of his feet. If they did not get treated soon, the wounds could cause an infection. He already had injuries; he did not need a bacterial infection on top of everything else.

Suddenly, the door to the place is kicked in, and Ichigo looks up just as lightning strikes outside, illuminating the figure on the doorway.

It was the blunet.

He hides behind the counter, his heart thundering in his chest again - ironically - like crazy, and he holds his breath as the man scans the place, pacing around slowly almost like a predator stalking its prey.

Another lightning strikes outside, illuminating the place briefly. The young man squeezes deeper under the counter to hide in its shadow, as the man paced closer, stopping right behind him on the opposite side of the dusty desk.

For a moment he just stood there, and the ginger covers his mouth to not let his breath be heard.

Another lightning, it really seemed to be a storm going out there.

After a moment, he could hear the footsteps slowly growing distant, and after a while, the house grows quiet again, indicating the man had left.

He releases a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. What did the blunet want from him? He did not know, but his instincts were screaming for danger. Slowly he pulls himself off the dusty floor, shivering lightly as it was still cold. The young man brings his hands up, wondering if he could ignite those flames again to warm himself up. Before he can take that plan any further however, something outside catches his attention, and as he peeks out from the window, his heart froze; there was a black SUV, the same that had chased him hours earlier, with the driver currently talking to the guys he’d ran from earlier.

He backs away deeper inside the building, realizing that if those guys would find him...

He didn’t even want to think about the outcome right now.

Sprinting at the back, the young man soon finds the emergency exit. He pauses briefly, realizing that going out there could result in him being caught. The same time, staying in Rukongai did not sound like a good option either; the place was littered with criminals as far as he remembered. Plus, that blue haired man was still out there too, and he was not sure if he wanted to be caught by him, either.

With a deep breath, he pushes the door open cautiously, peeking outside.

It was a back alley and there were nobody in sight, so he sneaks out, heading to the opposite direction he’d seen the car at. It was still cold as he was only wearing the oversized cardigan he snatched, as well as his boxers, but he wanted to get somewhere safer before looking for proper clothing. His feet hurt from all the minor cuts in them, and he shivered with cold.

At least the rain had paused for now.

He soon realizes he was heading back to a bigger road and stops, figuring it would be smarter to stay in the shadows. Unfortunately however, he is spotted by one of the suited men patrolling the streets. The young man quickly turns on his heels and dashes away, barely avoiding a bullet that hits the ground right behind his feet. He throws some trashcans to the ground to slow down his pursuers, dodging another bullet as he dives behind a wall.

For the young man’s horror however, he was soon cornered, and quickly hid behind some crates.

He was at the back alley near some club it seemed, with all the broken bottles and bigger dumpsters.

The young man peeked from his hiding place as the two suited men closed in on the spot, and panic rose in his throat once again; he had nowhere to run, and no clue how to bring out those flames.

Suddenly the two men stop as if something caught their attention. A moment later something blue hurls at them from the rooftop, and the young man feels his hair stand to an end as he hears the crackling of lightning, and there is a pained shout in the air, alongside more gunshots. He could even hear the disgusting sound of something piercing trough the flesh, before a heavy weight falls to the ground with a thud.

All of that lasted only for a second or two, and all he saw of it was blue flashes, but once it was over, he knew something bad had happened.

Peeking from behind the crates, he is greeted by a macabre sight.

There were only charred clothes left of the other man, whereas his partner lied on the ground in a pool of blood, and there was a large wound that went right through his chest.

It was obvious who’d done all this, as the blue haired man was currently wiping the blood away from his hand into his pants carelessly, before turning to look at the ginger hiding behind the crates.

He backed away against a wall as the man comes closer, having nowhere to run.

That guy...he was an elemental too clearly, and a powerful one.

He’d just killed those two, and would likely kill him as well now, for running away.

”You’re such a pain in the ass, Kurosaki.” The man grunts, then grasps his arm and slams him against the wall as the younger male attempts to flee.

The panicked male grasps the arm holding him, and flames dance in his hands again, likely due to his high alert state. The blunet was having none of that however, and grasps his hands, snuffing the flame out again and forcing them above his head like before, a hand landing on his throat. It did not squeeze per say, but the young man could tell it took some effort for the man not to choke him, as he was clearly pissed as all hell.

”Thanks to you, Aizen’s rats now know I am here, we cannot fuckin’ stay hiding in this place.”

”What do you mean we?! What are you talking about!?”

The blunet doesn’t answer, instead he brings his free hand up to grasp his hair, and a moment later an unpleasant shock traveled through his body, paralyzing him effectively.

It felt like the kind of shock stun guns would give.

With a huff, the man hauls him over his shoulder and starts heading out of the alley. The ginger’s eyes start closing immediately, as his body felt extremely exhausted from his earlier run in this cold, while injured.

 

 

His brain was hazy as he stirred, making him barely aware of his surroundings.

They seemed to be on an empty parking lot somewhere, and he noted his hands and legs were tied behind his back with a chain, likely to prevent him from trying to run again. Probably chain because his flames could melt a rope.

He was sitting on a corner, propped up against a wall, while the blunet was currently breaking and entering into one of the cars left there.

After a brief moment, he walks back to the dazed male and grabs him roughly off the floor, although this time not throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

The ginger tried to ask him what he was doing, but his brain was still too hazed, and he blacked out again as the man put him on the passenger seat.

 

 

By the time he woke up the second time, his head had cleared, and it was daytime.

They were on the road, heading god knows where. His body ached, including his head, but at least his hands were no longer chained and he was wrapped into a warm blanket.

”Fuckin’ finally. That zap wasn’t even that great and yer lazy ass still slept over five hours.”

The brown eyes turn at his captor miffed, although the blanket and the fact he was technically free made him wonder just what was going on.

”You killed them.”

That was the first thing he managed to utter out, and the man rolls his eyes, giving him an unimpressed look for a second, before focusing back on the road.

”No shit Sherlock. I had no choice; those guys clearly wanted ta put you full o’ holes.”

The young man’s eyes widen a bit; if what he said was true...

”What the fuck was that anyway? It’s not like you to be overpowered by yer fear. Your stupidity is usually stronger than that.”

The man pauses, and then frowns a bit.

”Then again, sprinting out into the open when those hyenas patrolled the place was pretty damn stupid.”

”Just who are you? What’s going on? How do you know me?”

The blunet brakes as they near an intersection where lights were red, before turning to face him.

”I don’t have fuckin’ time ta explain everything to ya right now Kurosaki, as I’m fuckin’ paranoid those guys are still after us. We gotta get to safety and then I’ll dumb the whole shit-show into your pea-brain, provided you can handle it.”

The young man frowns at that, not liking the man’s tone.

”Don’t even bother.” The blunet cuts him off before the young man could say anything, and turns his attention back to the road as the lights turn green, continuing to drive.

”I am really fucking pissed at you right now, and if I go an’ whoop your ass, I might get us both killed so shut up and rest for now.”

It was a very strict, ordering tone, and the young man sighs and settles back in to his seat, figuring he had no choice on the matter anyway. He had seen what this man could do; it did not seem wise to anger him. After a moment the monotone view from the window lulls him to sleep again despite the perceived danger beside him, and he drifts off, head lulling against the windowsill.

 

 

Grimmjow was fucking pissed.

That was not even close when it came to describing how he felt.

Yeah, he did not have to brutally maul those two minions, but he just had to let off some steam. All would have been just fine and dandy, had Kurosaki not suddenly sprinted out of the damn door like the dumbass he was, running out in the open when Aizen’s minions had crawled all over the city streets, clearly after his sorry ass.

After he’d been spotted by few, Grimmjow knew he could no longer stay in Rukongai, so he’d gone to find Kurosaki and get the hell outta there.

He’d had to snatch a new vehicle because the bastards now also knew what was his, so there was no point in using that one; hence he’d stolen the current one from the parking lot. He was not exactly sure where to go right now; going back to Seireitei where the dumbass worked was likely not a good idea, as he had a reason to believe Aizen had an insider in the force.

Karakura, Kurosaki’s family hometown was out of bounds as well; given it would be an obvious place for the ginger to go after escaping.

Aizen’s goons likely monitored the place already.

He glances at the sleeping ginger beside him, still having mixed feelings about seeing his sorry face again.

When he’d found Kurosaki bleeding on the road, he’d been disgustingly relieved to see him alive, but also pissy as hell seeing the condition he was in. It was not like Grimmjow had not seen Kurosaki in such state before, hell; he’d done worse to him, but still....

Seeing someone else hurt him like that, to the point the moron ended up suffering from amnesia, it pissed him off in a way he had never felt before about anyone or anything. Not to mention.... why the hell had Kurosaki been scared of him all of a sudden? He had been before as well, but it had never caused such a reaction before. Kurosaki had never...ran from him, and it just did not sit right with the man.

He had not even DONE anything too threatening.

Shaking his head, the man focuses on driving, knowing there was no point on dwelling in this for now. He had to figure out where to hide and quickly. As minutes passed, his mind involuntarily drifted back to the last time he’d seen Kurosaki.

It had been just a week before the bastard disappeared into thin air.

 

 

_”Ya need ta stop underestimating that sneaky lunatic.” Grimmjow told him casually, while pretty much devouring the content of his fridge unapologetically as usual. Ichigo had not been surprised to find the man in his house; he often dropped by to gloat at Ichigo’s face for saving his ass after they encountered each other on the field._

_Seeing his pissy face was always amusing as all hell._

_Currently the man was munching on a bag of salted nuts, his third one that day Ichigo noted as he glanced around; previous, emptied bags were thrown haphazardly around the trashcan in the corner, instead of inside it. The miffed officer was fairly certain Grimmjow did it on purpose, as his aim was much better normally. He was right about that. Another thing Grimmjow loved to poke fun at was his ridiculous tidiness._

_”Yeah, keep rubbing salt in the wound, that’s what you do best.” Ichigo grumbles as he shrugs off his jacket, walking to his coffee maker._

_He was clearly too tired right now to really bother complaining to him properly._

_”Always a pleasure, Kurosaki.” The man smirks at him, before eating another peanut. Ichigo just huffs and turns the coffee pot on, watching the dark liquid drip down slowly and fill the kettle._

_Meanwhile Grimmjow had walked to his fridge again, casually grabbing himself a drink like it was his house and not Ichigo’s. Ichigo did not even try to stop the assault on his fridge anymore, as it turned out that getting in between Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez and his food could be a highly unpleasant experience; it was one of the few things that could still trigger the man to kick his ass._

_It was an improvement from the past where he’d tried to kill Ichigo, but still preferably avoidable in the officer’s eyes._

_Still though, as he feels Kurosaki glance at him, drinking straight from the carton - he never bothered to get a glass just to annoy the officer - Grimmjow could tell Kurosaki had mixed feelings about the whole situation, just like him._

_He still remembered the day after he’d initially made Kurosaki think he had kicked the bucket, the joy he’d seen in the younger man's eyes when he found out Grimmjow was alive._

_The genuine enthusiasm from him, and the undeniably disgustingly sappy things he’d said._

_Neither of them brought it up really, as looking back at that day, it felt a little surreal, perhaps they’d both just been high on their own hormones._

_Ichigo, because he was just so damn happy to see him, and Grimmjow because he was no longer in pain._

_Kurosaki had likely never expected the man to actually mean what he'd said and come back._

_Neither had Grimmjow, he was not gonna lie._

_But he had, doing what he did right now, casually eating away Ichigo’s food resources and acting so casual, like he lived there._

_The blunet did not know himself why he did so, he just felt like it. They had not gotten intimate since, though sometimes he’d look at Kurosaki in a manner that made him shudder, clearly highly aware of it._

_He never said anything about it however._

_Grimmjow never did anything._

_Grimmjow did have a more rational excuse for why he kept popping up to raid Kurosaki’s fridge; he liked to inform the fiery haired bastard about some intel he dug up, before giving it to Harribel, knowing that the damn woman did not necessarily share all of it with the guard right away. While not a fan of the cops himself, Grimmjow had every reason to want Aizen taken out, so giving the Guard all the info they needed instead of hiding it only played to his advantages. He was willing to spill every goddamn dirty secret that lunatic megalomaniac had, if he’d get to see the fucker taken out for good._

_Grimmjow watches the officer fidget near his coffee maker, noting that he looked unusually pale._

_Honestly, he’d noticed lately that Kurosaki had seemed...off a lot._

_He got exhausted faster, and he seemed....weaker._

_It pissed Grimmjow the hell off, the fact he was slightly worried, but for some reason he could not stop himself for being highly aware of the subtle changes in the fiery haired officer._

_Once the coffee is done, Ichigo pours himself a cup with a sigh, stirring the hot drink. He’s so lost in thought that he fails to notice the man having sneaked up on him, nearly spilling the coffee on himself as he turns only to be met by the intense blue eyes up close. It was obviously surprising to him, because Grimmjow usually did not come to his personal space that much anymore, unless something triggered him to smack Ichigo or grasp his collar to threaten him with a snarl. Grimmjow plants his hands on the counter, either side of Kurosaki and basically traps him there._

_He could tell Ichigo’s heartbeat fastened, but he remains calm under Grimmjow’s stoic gaze, likely out of habit as showing weakness to the blunet was usually a bad idea._

_He says nothing as Grimmjow examines him, just takes a sip from his cup while trying not to show his nervousness outwardly. Grimmjow sensed it anyway because the damn fucker was still bad at hiding it, but for once he did not feel gleeful about the nervousness he caused._

_”The fuck’s with ya? That bullshit back there, that ain’t like ya.”_

_Kurosaki seems taken aback by his question, but his expression quickly turns into the usual defensive one as he squares his shoulders and looks at him sternly. ”I suppose a freeloader like you would not understand the stresses caused by doing a job, a dangerous one at that.” Ichigo comments simply, closing his eyes and drinking his coffee. Oh no, Grimmjow was having none of that right now._

_He grabs Kurosaki’s wrist and forces the mug aside, leaning closer all of a sudden, his breath brushing over Ichigo’s ear, making the younger male shudder involuntarily._

_It had been a while since he’d been this close, and it was tempting to just nip at the soft skin there, knowing the kind of sounds it would cause Kurosaki to make, but the man held it in for now._

_”Fuck. You. Just cause you got a badge to flash around, it don’t mean what I do ain’t dangerous. I just don’t got a rock for a brain like you.” Grimmjow growls lowly into his ear, highly aware of the way his tone made the young man shiver lightly._

_Ichigo holds his urges back however and huffs, managing to push him further away, taking another sip from his coffee cup, while glaring at Grimmjow almost challenging._

_For a moment they just glare at each other in a silent stand-off._

_Eventually Grimmjow huffs and backs away, brushing through his hair irritated. Ichigo releases a quiet sigh of relief while the man wasn’t looking, as he really wasn’t up for a fight right now. He walks to the table and sits down; taking another sip from his drink, letting the steam hit his face, the warmth relaxing him a bit. Anything warm did, really, as he was a fire elemental so he liked things that were warm or hot, Grimmjow had learned as much about Kurosaki._

_He preferred hot drinks, even during summer - which Grimmjow found weird as fuck - and he especially loved cuddling up next to a fireplace in a blanket during winter back at their family home, according to his own drunken words the other night couple months back, just to watch the flames and sometimes make them dance a little for his sister’s amusement._

_Safely of course, the fucker had clarified, stating he always made sure he would not burn the damn house down._

_It was not really necessary for him to explain himself to Grimmjow as it was not like he cared how the moron used his power, but seeing him babble random shit about being a walking candle while drunk had been too hilarious for him to silence Kurosaki._

_After a moment, Grimmjow slumps to the seat opposite of him, still looking pissy._

_Not violent pissy, but enough to make Ichigo be clearly cautious still._

_”Say, why you were in that place too?” He asks from the man after a moment of silence. Grimmjow pauses, and then figures he did not have to hide it, while the same time he did not have to give anything specific._

_”Wanted ta check the place out fer something Harribel asked me to find.”_

_”And I thought you specifically came there to see me get my ass handed to me.”_

_Grimmjow glares at him dully for a moment._

_”It’s no fun if it’s not me doin’ it.”_

_He states matter-of-factly, making Ichigo roll his eyes. Grimmjow hated his response honestly; he hated the fact how he seemed bothered if somebody else messed with Kurosaki, like the officer was somehow his property or something._

_Yeah, he could be possessive at times, but this felt different from the cases from before._

_For a moment they remain quiet again, which clearly began to bother the fiery haired officer; Grimmjow was rarely this quiet, he usually let his mouth run the usual bullshit to make Ichigo contemplate on punching him in the jaw, then suffer the consequences because there would be those. Now however, the man just remained quiet and kept examining him with a displeased frown, which was both annoying and unnerving to the officer apparently._

_Ichigo puts his coffee cup down to ask the man just what the hell he was staring at, when Grimmjow just snorts and gets up, slumping to his couch again like a lazy cat._

_If Kurosaki did not want to be honest, he was not gonna bother trying to dig it out of him. It was not like it mattered that much, right?_

 

 

_Kurosaki had eventually gotten up to take a shower in order to get the hospital stench off him._

_As minutes passed with him listening to the water run, Grimmjow felt a certain urge tugging in his gut again. He’d ignored it so many times already, but now... Fuck it. He got up and stalked towards the bathroom. As usual the moron left the door unlocked. A stupid idea to do, when someone as dangerous as him was in the house. Either it was stupid, or Kurosaki really trusted that he would not try to sneak kill him._

_The worst part was he was probably right with that assumption._

 

_Kurosaki was completely unaware of him entering the bathroom, completely focused on washing his ridiculously orange hair._

_Grimmjow took a brief moment to just look at him for a moment, like he often did. He noted the small bruises and cuts Kurosaki had on his body, but he mostly seemed fine. It was not even close to as bad as what he’d done back then. Somehow him not having any marks from him suddenly annoyed the man greatly, which was another bullshit sign that he was likely a bit too attached to this stubborn moron._

_Grimmjow narrows his eyes, his elemental aura creeping up on Kurosaki until he finally noticed it, tensing as he now knew the man was there._

_Before Kurosaki could turn and demand the man to piss off however, Grimmjow grasps his wrist, and nearly throws the younger male against the wall of the shower, making his back collide with the cold surface almost painfully. Yeah, he was not known to be gentle, not even with stuff like this._

_The hand holding Kurosaki’s wrist locks it above his head, and the next thing the young man knew Grimmjow’s lips near violently claimed his mouth. Ichigo’s eyes widen in light shock which was predictable, but he could tell the bastard was not opposed to it at all, as he responds to the kiss almost immediately, actually managing to coax him to be a bit softer about it, something he’d likely be pissed off about later._

_Grimmjow let’s go of his wrist eventually and drops his hands to Ichigo’s waist, pressing him further against the slippery wall with a low growl, making the younger male gasp as he bit his lower lip. The young man brings his hands up against the man’s chest, probably to shove him away, but as he feels Grimmjow’s thigh press against his crotch, it seems Kurosaki loses last bits of his self-restraint, his arms sliding up to wrap around Grimmjow’s neck to hold him closer instead._

_The water had gone cold, making Kurosaki press closer to him for warmth._

_He liked it way too much._

_Finally, Grimmjow lets him breathe and moves down to his neck, leaving heated, open-mouthed kisses there that made Ichigo’s entire body tremble with need. Shit, it had been so long since he’d done anything like this, and having Kurosaki respond to it the way he did right now... Grimmjow was too good at this; he sometimes almost hated just how good he could be at seducing people if he wanted to, because he could end up having to deal with obsessive stalkers he had to fry as a result._

_This was an actual fucking thing he’d dealt with in the past, and it was annoying._

_In this case though, he was not entirely sure which one was in control of the situation, if either of them._

_Kurosaki tilts his head involuntarily as he feels the sharp teeth nip at his skin lightly, and he mingles his fingers into the blue hair, tugging on it to finally make the man look at him._

_”What the hell are you...”_

_Ichigo’s peeved words die on his throat as he sees the intense want on Grimmjow’s eyes._

_It was clearly a bit freaky to look at given the slight unnerved gaze Kurosaki gave him, but it was watered down a lot by the mirrored desire in his brown eyes. Wordlessly, Grimmjow tugs him off the wall and off the floor, carrying him to the bedroom._

_Kurosaki did not protest, just held tightly onto him to not fall off._

_Not that he would; Grimmjow’s grip was pretty damn firm in general, having the tendency to leave bruises on Ichigo’s skin._

_Plus, there was no way he’d let go his willing prey right now._

_Kurosaki clearly half expected the man to just drop him to the bed given the surprised look on his face as Grimmjow instead just lies down with him, instantly finding his lips again the second Ichigo’s back hit the mattress._

_Why exactly did either of them even want to do this in the first place, neither seemed to have a clue, nor did they want to ask, that much was obvious._

_Grimmjow just knew his instincts were telling him to do this right now, and given he was not getting any resistance, he did not hold back. He was a violent, crazy, sadistic bastard, he could admit that much, but there were some lines even he would not cross. Ichigo gasps as he feels nails rake over his shoulders and down his back, likely leaving scratch marks there. Grimmjow growls lowly against his lips, before bringing his other hand up to tug on Ichigo’s hair, exposing his throat._

_His prey’s pulse fastens instantly and Grimmjow feels the way Kurosaki tenses slightly beneath him, likely out of an instinct._

_Given it had been so long since he’d been this close to the fiery haired little shit, Kurosaki’s body seemed to retract to the default reaction he would’ve had, having his weak point exposed like this to a man he knew was dangerous as all hell._

_As Grimmjow’s lips press against his pulse point in an open mouthed kiss, Ichigo lets out another gasp, and his hand reaches up to grasp the blue locks in an effort to shove the predator off from him, likely again an instinctive reaction given Grimmjow did not feel any true intent behind it._

_He shifts up anyway to look down on the slightly disheveled ginger beneath him, whose expression was edging close to a lovesick puppy, mixed with his typical frustrated scowl._

_It was hilarious as all hell, but for once Grimmjow did not feel like taunting him for it._

_”Relax.”_

_It was an order almost, stated in a low, purring tone that he knew was dangerously seducing, and it’s effects were shown on Kurosaki’s face instantly, as the brown eyes gazing up at him darken, and he licks his lips almost nervously. Somehow he manages to voice out his peeved thoughts despite his obvious arousal._

_”It’s been a while, can’t help it if my brain thinks you’re gonna tear my artery open with your teeth or something.” Kurosaki blurts out before he can stop himself._

_Grimmjow stares at the young officer beneath him baffled for a moment, then a low laugh erupts from his lips as he cannot stop it on time, and the man stares down at him highly amused._

_”I woulda not bother doin’ it like that if I wanted ta kill ya.”_

_”Yeah I guess frying my brain out is more your style.”_

_”You have a brain in there?”_

_Ichigo snorts at the jab, rolling his eyes. He had relaxed remarkably however, after that remark, so the blunet leans closer again, letting his breath brush over Kurosaki’s lips, the same smug grin still on his face._

_The young man tries to continue looking annoyed, but his lips part almost involuntarily, and his eyes turn slightly hazed, flicking between the blue orbs and the mouth smirking down at him with amused glee._

_He was so ridiculously bad at hiding his neediness, let alone resisting his urges, that Grimmjow could not stop but wonder how the hell this bastard kept up the prude act._

_Or maybe it was just because it was him doin’ it that Kurosaki found it hard to resist._

_The man wants to smack himself for that thought, especially after he realizes how much he liked the idea._

_”Just relax, Kurosaki. I know you want me ta do this fer ya.”_

_The ginger stares up at him, attempting to look annoyed, but it did not work very well as his gaze kept drifting to his lips, almost begging him to lean closer. As if sensing his thoughts, Grimmjow does exactly that, brushing their lips together in almost teasing manner, before kissing him properly, making Ichigo shudder and tilt his head up to deepen it. As much as he clearly hated admitting it, Kurosaki clearly needed this right now with all the stress he was apparently going through._

_He’d been so stressed out lately with the constant dead ends they kept facing, sleepless nights and his powers being a pain in the ass, so being allowed to forget all about that if just for a few hours was a welcomed blessing._

_Ichigo brings his arms around Grimmjow’s neck again and holds him closer to deepen the kiss, gaining an approving growl from the man as he pressed the fiery haired officer deeper against the bed._

 

 

 

_By the time Grimmjow comes out from the shower, he notes that Kurosaki was still on his bed, bare, and lying on his back with one arm resting above his head, and another slumped on top of his belly. There were several scratch marks on his body - including his back and his thighs - as well as a bite mark on his neck. Kurosaki’s gaze drifts towards him and he tilts his head, but remains still otherwise, clearly still blissed out of his brain lightly. He watches as Grimmjow walks to the small bag he’d had with him when he’d shown up, and rustles through it, pulling out the phone he used to communicate with Harribel._

_”Something going on?” Ichigo asks upon seeing the slight frown on Grimmjow’s face, as he checks through the device._

_Tsch, the damn woman, this was the third time today she’d sent him a message asking about the thing. He’d answer when he could, dammit!_

_”She’s askin’ about the stuff I went to check into back there.” ”Did you find whatever you were looking for?” Grimmjow’s blue eyes drift towards him, noting the ginger blushed lightly under his gaze. Holy fuck Kurosaki was sometimes too easy._

_”Coulda not find it ’cause I was busy saving your ass.”_

_Grimmjow snorts, typing something as a reply to her; he'd report the great discovery of **nothing** to her later._

_Ichigo frowns and shifts up, grasping the blanket to tug it over him in order to cover him up a bit._

_”Did not ask you to help me.” Ichigo points out quietly, his earlier pleasant mood apparently gone as quickly as it came._

_He slumps back down with a sigh to stare at the ceiling again, not noticing how the blue eyes kept staring at him with a frown. Grimmjow says nothing however, just packs his stuff, clearly going to leave._

_Again, if the bastard refused to talk about it, it was not his business to keep prying on the topic; being a worried mother-hen was a job for his family and friends, not Grimmjow._

_”Don’t slip off the roof while you go.”_

_The man snorts at that remark, and heads out without a word._

_He’d never thought he would not see the ginger again until months later._


	2. Confused Strawberry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grimmjow brings Kurosaki to a "safe-house" that turns out to not be safe at all.  
> Ichigo is still trying to make sense just what is happening, and why does the man both freak him out and make him blush the same time.

The young man awoke abruptly from his slumber as the car stopped.

He looked around hazily, noting they had stopped at the yard of an old looking shack in the middle of the forest. It was getting dark, indicating that it was either late afternoon or early evening.

The blunet gets out before he could even ask where they were, and walks to the other side of the car, yanking him out almost roughly. The young man clings to the blanket the best he could, not wanting to be exposed to cold air.

”Where are we?”

”One of yer superiors got a lot of tricks up his sleeve.” The man states simply, not really answering the question as he near drags the ginger inside, shoving him to sit on the couch while he checks the house and the area, clearly suspicious.

The young man watches him stalk around, still confused about the situation.

Who was this man, a friend or a foe?

Who was the superior he talked about?

Eventually, the man seemed to be satisfied for now, and he walks back to the confused ginger sitting on the couch, slumping to sit down beside him, rubbing his eyes irritated. The younger male tugs his feet up to the couch after a moment of silence and cuddles further into his blanket, unsure on what to do now.

”Alright. So to give you the basics for now: Yer name is Ichigo Kurosaki. You are a fire-elemental officer on the Seireitei guard, and you’ve been missing for about...six months now.”

That....was news.

The young man’s eyes widen and he takes a moment to process it.

”But...why? What happened to me?”

”Hell if I know! I did not even know your sorry ass was missing until a month after it happened!” The man spats at him, and then shakes his head frustrated, getting up and pacing around like a caged animal.

He was clearly still pissed about his stunt from earlier.

”You still haven’t told me who you are.”

Ichigo - so that was his first name, he hoped to whatever gods it wasn’t written ’strawberry’ as then he’d have a thing or two to say for his parents - points out, and the man stops his pacing, glaring down at him with hands on his hips.

Why was he so angry?

Sure, if what he said was true, running out in the open had been stupid, but...

”Grimmjow.”

Ichigo blinks as the man sighs, his posture slumping, a hand brushing trough his wild blue hair.

”My name’s Grimmjow and you better not forget it again.”

The man grunts at him, then walks to the kitchen, checking the cabinets.’ There wasn’t much anything there, but he did spot a sake bottle. It was the same shitty brand Kurosaki had bought back then, when he’d thought Grimmjow had died. With a sigh the man grabs the bottle and pours himself a glass, drinking it down with one gulp.

He really had to calm the fuck down; Grimmjow wasn’t even sure why he was so on the edge right now, it could not be just because the damn moron gave out his hiding place to Aizen. Hell, he was surprised he had not been found out sooner.

The man glances at the curled up figure on the couch, who’d tugged himself tighter into the blanket, clearly still a little intimidated by his anger. It felt wrong in so many levels: Kurosaki was not supposed to be this freaked out by his outbursts. He’d always been too stupid to listen to his own fear and shut up.

Just.... what the hell had happened during those six months?

It could be anything, really.

If it was Aizen who’d had Kurosaki, Grimmjow knew all too well the horrors the man could put one trough.

Even so though; why Kurosaki? Why keep him alive or kidnap him in the first place? It was frustrating how the ginger could not give him any answers either, given his brain had blanked out on him apparently.

Grimmjow digs out his phone to read the message Harribel had sent him during the car-trip; it had guided him to this place.

 

_”Bring Kurosaki here. They will send someone they can trust to pick him up in few days.”_

 

Below that text were the coordinates to this place. Few days huh? Normally he would not have minded, having the chance to mess with the normally fiery officer for several days straight. However, right now it seemed that all he had to do was look at the damn bastard wrong and he’d sprint out of the door or something.

”Are you also an officer?”

He was so surprised to hear Kurosaki ask something that for a moment he just stared at the orange haired male baffled. Eventually though, he shakes his head and crosses his arms, leaning his back against the kitchen counter.

”No. Let’s just say I’ve been doin’ some unofficial freelancing due to personal reasons.”

”Such as?”

”Dammit Kurosaki! You know why! You were there!” Grimmjow snaps at him unable to stop himself, and instantly the blanket wrapper tightens around Ichigo, as he near attempts to hide into it, muttering out an apology.

The blunet cursed inwardly, rubbing his eyes. How the hell was he supposed to deal with this? Kurosaki was clearly traumatized or some shit, and he was absolutely the LAST person to deal with that, given his temper alone.

”Look. I’m not gonna hurt you, even if it might sound like it.”

”You did zap me pretty bad...”

”That is not even CLOSE to what I used to do.”

That was the wrong thing to say clearly, as the brown eyes widen in slight fear, and Grimmjow huffs irritated, rustling his hair.

”Just try not to sprint off, alright? Your buddies will come and pick you up in two days or so, and then ya don’t have to worry about my presence in a while.”

After a moment of awkward silence, Ichigo nods slowly, turning his gaze away to stare out of the window. After watching him sit there tensely for a while, the man sighs and puts the same bottle away, suddenly not feeling like drinking. Instead, he rummages through rest of this apparent ’safe house’ and soon finds there are indeed some spare clothes there.

Given the dust on them, it was clear this place had not been used in ages.

He throws a shirt and pants at Kurosaki, who looks at him seemingly surprised.

”They will bitch at me if they come here find you half-dead because of flu or some shit.”

The young man says nothing, just tugs the pants on, although he was clearly hesitant on switching his shirt.

”I’ve already seen everything worth seeing several times.” The man comments casually, and Ichigo’s entire face turns red as he realizes the implications behind those words.

He also seems even more confused now, and Grimmjow did not blame him.

What he just said and how he acted kind of sent two different messages.

Eventually, Ichigo manages to tug on the cleaner white shirt, before wrapping himself into the blanket again almost reflexively. It seemed to be some sort of safe-space thing.

”Might as well go get food fer now, given ya look thin like a stick.”

The blunet huffs, shaking his head. He knew there was a small town just few miles away, and he could easily get there in a literal flash using his elemental powers. It was harder to bring anything with you in that speed however as he could not turn bigger objects he touched into lightning the same way his clothes sort of merged with his form briefly during his teleporting.

Smaller stuff like a knife or gun, sure, but a person?

No fucking way. Bringing a bag full of groceries would also be impossible.

That was why he’d used a car to get here, as he could not have carried Kurosaki all the way given he was not a lightning type. He did have a hunch about this though; given fire WAS a form of light…

Grimmjow sighs and rubs his eyes, figuring he’d have to use the car for this trip as well or just run like a normal human. Not that him running was of any normal human speed: he was naturally much faster than even the fastest sprinters, but it was not as speedy as his lightning teleportation ability.

After considering it, Grimmjow decides to make a run for it instead, as he could actually be faster than using a car.

Plus if the bad guys showed up, Kurosaki could get away using it hopefully.

”I’ll be back in an hour or so. Do not sprint off this time, got it?”

Ichigo glances at him and nods, biting his lip uneasy, but also curious.

He was likely wondering just what the hell the deal between them was.

The problem was Grimmjow had no clue either; he had not had even when Kurosaki did remember him. Grimmjow tugs on his jacket again and heads out, hoping that the bastard would stay still for now. He really did not want to go look for him again.

He’d hated it five months ago.

He’d hated it that morning too.

 

 

 

Ichigo watched him disappear in a flash of blue light, before slumping down to curl to the couch. His mind was still processing the bits of information given to him.

So he was a cop, an elemental officer to be exact?

That explained the flames in his hands from earlier. However, what confused him was the man himself; Grimmjow so far had acted pretty hostile towards him, but the same time, he was seemingly protecting him right now, saving Ichigo from those after him, bringing him to this place that apparently his boss or so owned.

Plus, there was that weird comment from earlier, when he’d been hesitant to switch his clothing in front of the man.

Grimmjow’s words indicated he’d seen Ichigo naked a few times already.

What did that mean though?

With a sigh the young man closes his eyes and just rests there, curled up, waiting for Grimmjow to come back as he had no clue what else to do. Despite his tense state and the fact he’d been doing nothing but sleeping lately, the dim lighting and the relative warmth of the cabin and his blanket eventually lulls him to slumber again.

 

 

_He was in a room of some sort, chained to a wall._

_The chains were special, made to hold back elementals. It was no surprise Aizen would have something like that in his disposal, given all the crazy elementals he used to govern over. What Ichigo did not understand was the fact he was not dead yet. What did the lunatic possibly claim for keeping him alive?_

_After what felt like hours, the door opens and a pink haired man steps in. Ichigo had seen reports on the man; his elemental ability was one of the more refined types, basing on the concept of biology._

_They had one like this in the Guard as well, and Ichigo knew from experience these guys tended to be creepy as hell, at least based on their own member._

_”Greetings, officer. I must apologize for the unpleasantness.”_

_The man mock-apologizes, making the officer snort and roll his eyes._

_”You guys have a shit way of treating guests.”_

_”Oh, do not worry; you don’t have to stay here for much longer.”_

_Ichigo watches warily as the man dislodges his chains from the wall, but wisely doesn’t remove them. He then points a gun at his head and gestures him to get up and head out of the door._

_”Aizen-sama has been highly curious about meeting such an extraordinary elemental like yourself.”_

_What the hell did that mean?_

 

 

 

Ichigo snaps awake, panting heavily like last time.

Once again the memory he’d witnessed evades him, leaving the young man with a state of confusion and unease.

Looking at the clock on the wall, it had been about 45 minutes since the blunet left. It was completely dark outside, and it was making him nervous.

He gets up and decides to investigate the place himself a bit more to distract his mind from his situation. There wasn’t much in there, given they’d arrived on a short notice; he noted, like Grimmjow before him, that the spare clothes in the closet were covered with dust, being unused for so long. As he looks around some more, Ichigo suddenly spots a bag near the bed.

Given it was not all dusty and worn Ichigo figured the man brought it with him.

Overcome with curiosity, he kneels down beside the bag and opens it cautiously, looking through the contents.

There wasn’t much, just some stuff for his phone, spare clothes for himself, a gun - Ichigo did not understand why he’d need it given his intense power - and a black book that looked like...a diary? It surprised him as the man did not seem the type to write his thoughts down.

Still though.... he picks the book up and after a moment of hesitation, checks its contents.

He glances aside to see if the man was returning, having a feeling Grimmjow would not like him snooping around into his stuff. Looking into the contents, it soon became clear it was not a diary, but some sort of notes regarding to information to something. There were dates, places and names littering the pages, most which said nothing to him. However, he did catch one name that he recognized; his own.

It was mentioned quite a few times, and Ichigo soon begun to realize that those dates were the times the man had likely seen him, or visited him.

Scrolling through it, there were a lot.

Which meant....there had to be something.

But what?

Friendship?

Some sort of partnership thing?

Romance?

 

Ichigo shakes his head, unable to really buy the last one. It was more likely, based on Grimmjow’s own words that they were cooperating on a case of sorts before he went missing.

With a sigh, he puts the book back into the bag and closes it, trying his best to make it seem undisturbed, before walking back to the couch. Only few minutes later, the blunet returns with a bag full of food, and drops it on the kitchen table. Seeing Ichigo where he left him clearly pleased him, given how the atmosphere around him felt more relaxed once he spotted the ginger.

”Get your ass over here and eat.”

The man orders simply, and Ichigo gets up and walks to the table, already salivating.

He had not realized how hungry he was, not until he was devouring his fourth warm sandwich, eating so fast Grimmjow was looking at him almost amused. Ichigo felt heat creep up his face under that stare, and he swallowed down quickly, trying to hide his blush by drinking the juice the man had brought him. ”Aren’t you gonna eat?” Ichigo asks after a moment of silence, and the man shrugs, stating he was not hungry.

”But you did just run several miles on foot...”

”Been trough much worse. That was a walk in the park.” The man snorts, flashing a slight smirk at Ichigo.

He was a lot less terrifying when relaxed like this.

Almost...charming.

”So...you said my friends will come and pick me up?”

Grimmjow nods after a moment, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

”I...might not be able to recognize them, so...”

”I’ll tell you if it’s just some retard pretending ta be one of ’em. I know them all.”

”Oh? Did they work together with you in this case, whatever it is, too?”

Grimmjow’s grin turned dark, and his tone was almost chilly the next time he spoke.

”I electrocuted one of ’em.”

Ichigo swallows down hardly, feeling uneasy again.

 

 

That night Kurosaki was restless, which did not surprise Grimmjow. That last comment he gave was a bit too far, and the man cursed about it right afterwards in his brain as he saw how Kurosaki’s eyes widened.

It was too tempting to scare him; Grimmjow knew all too well that for all his life, he’d been a sadistic bastard who enjoyed terrorizing others.

It was just that right now was not the right time for bullshit like that.

He had to keep Kurosaki calm or he’d either sprint out of the door or accidentally burn the goddamn place down. Part of him wondered why exactly he cared; he could just ditch his ass and be done with it, be done with this whole damn deal with Harribel. He was not afraid of the woman. He knew if he REALLY wanted to ditch this arrangement, she would not bother going after her.

She would not even bother telling the Guard just who exactly was her informant, and the fact he’d left.

It was just... he’d grown too used to seeing Kurosaki’s sorry mug.

Ditching his ass just like that, especially when he fuckin’ owed him his life honestly, it just did not sit right with him.

Grimmjow hated it, hated the fact he felt indebted to this annoying shithead. Hated the fact he did not actually mind it as much as he should.

With an irritated sigh, he gets up from the mattress on the floor he was sleeping, and sits at the edge of the bed, watching the ginger toss and turn for a while. After a while, he begins to settle down however and shift to turn towards him, as if sensing Grimmjow was watching him.

The man says nothing, allowing Ichigo’s hand to blindly reach for his, mingling their fingers together with a slight relieved sigh.

How the hell did the knowledge that he was there help, Grimmjow had no fucking clue given his usual current reactions towards him, so the man figured it had to be subconscious. He’d already witnessed several times in the past just how much of his foolish trust Ichigo put on him subconsciously. He did not get it: he could kill Kurosaki anytime he wanted when his back was turned, when he was asleep while Grimmjow was in his house, when he left his shower door unlocked...

Grimmjow shakes his head, knowing full well he did not need his mind to go down the gutter right now.

He had to focus on keeping this little shit safe until his friends would pick him up out of his hands.

The sooner they did, the better; he did not mind hanging out in Kurosaki’s apartment occasionally, annoying the shit outta him, but having to deal with a version that was seemingly spooked by his own shadow.... it was foreign territory for him, namely because for once he didn’t WANT to freak the person out that much.

Not because he cared or anything.

It was just more useful for him to have Kurosaki focused and calm, as it would be easier for him to process any potential flashbacks with information.

After a moment, he shifts and shakes Ichigo’s hand off him, throwing the blanket over the younger male as it had slipped out of place quite a lot while he tossed and turned.

The ginger cuddles into it, seemingly having calmed down now.

Grimmjow slumps back to his mattress, and stares at the ceiling dully, not really feeling sleepy. His mind was on a fucking overdrive, as it seemed it had not been processing the things happening right now, not until now. Kurosaki was alive. He’d searched for the damn shithead for weeks, before Harribel’s requests forced him to focus on something else.

Still, he’d been in a sour mood the whole time, trigger happy to the point the damned woman had complained to him about killing his enemies too easily.

_”I know you are concerned, but looking for that officer is not your job, it’s theirs.”_

The woman had reminded him gently with a great amount of sympathy in her eyes.

Like he fucking cared.

The guard was shit at their job anyway, he’d witnessed it before.

Part of him wondered if this was what Kurosaki had felt, after finding out he was alive.

Except, Grimmjow was fairly sure it wasn’t; after the initial outburst, he’d just been...happy. Grimmjow on the other hand, he was so incredibly angry right now, that had he still been suffering from overload, he’d likely already exploded million times over.

Why exactly he was angry, the man wasn’t sure. All he knew was that the moment he’d recognized the orange haired heap on the road, and seen the state he was in, his vision had gone red for a moment, before he’d recomposed himself and picked the bastard up, bringing him to his hideout as quickly as he could with that shitty car.

Ever since that, he’d sort of been fighting against the urge to destroy something, and Kurosaki could sense his hidden fury quite easily, misunderstanding it as anger towards him.

It wasn’t, and that was the most bullshit thing about it; he was not angry at Kurosaki.

He wanted to rip into pieces the person who took him away and left him in such a shit shape. It was hypocritical as fuck, given the treatment he had given in the past, but... The man lets out a low groan and shifts on his side, rustling trough his already messy hair frustrated.

Fuck Kurosaki and all he ever stands for.

 

 

 

 

”Your informant found him?” Rukia was both stunned and relieved about the news given her by their ally, Harribel san.

The blond woman nods, calm and collected as ever as she sat with them in the conference room.

”How was he? Is Ichigo okay? What happened?” Renji questions the woman, nearly leaning over the table as he did so.

”It seems... he is suffering from a memory loss. Kurosaki is not able to even recall his own name according to my informant.”

This stuns both officers into silence.

The shock from that statement was so bad that Rukia accidentally freezes the chair she was sitting on.

”....That must mean, whatever happened to him, was bad.” She concludes tensely after a moment, gaining an agreeing, worried nod and look from her redhead companion.

”Where are they right now?”

”In a safe-house one of your superiors pointed out to me. It seems to be one of his personal locations so chances of people knowing about it are small.” Harribel explains calmly, honestly understanding their worry; she would be this anxious as well if it was one of her beloved subordinates that were missing. Let alone her partner, who was currently still in coma in a hospital.

”Who is this informant of yours exactly? Will it be safe for Ichigo to be around him?” Rukia questions with a frown; the woman had never really told them the identity of her mysterious investigator, but Rukia had always had a bad feeling about it. Especially after Ichigo had returned to work since that incident in Hueco Mundo.

He had been much cheerier, despite looking like he’d lost a part of his soul just a week earlier.

For a moment Harribel remains quiet, gazing at them with a stoic look on her face. Finally she sighs however and rubs her eyes.

”I have reasons to believe Jeagerjaquez won’t harm him this time.”

That statement caused both officers to gape at her in shock, before voicing out their protest.

”Are you crazy?! That lunatic nearly killed Ichigo THRICE, and tortured him at his home for a month!” Renji near spat at her face, prompting Rukia to pull him back into his seat. Harribel remained calm, understanding the reaction perfectly.

”Are you certain you truly know what exactly happened during that month? If what you stated is true, how come Kurosaki seemed enthusiastic to find out he was alive?”

That was a good question.

For all of his caring, it did not make sense for Ichigo be happy to see someone who harmed him to be alive.

At least, not to the extend Rukia had witnessed, no matter how hard Ichigo had tried to hide his strange cheerful mood.

”Where are they, tell us now so we can get Ichigo away from that crazy bastard!” Renji demands from the woman, clearly desperate to rescue his friend from whatever horrors he imagined the fiery haired officer was going through.

”The house is near the outskirts of a small village west from Hueco Mundo. I can give you the coordinates.”

Rukia nods at that; while calmer than Renji, she was about equally concerned for Ichigo’s safety.

There was no way Ichigo would be safe around that man.

Unknowingly to them, a figure was silently listening in on their conversation near the doorway, pretending to be choosing a drink from the dispenser. He did not need to know the exact coordinates to know which house the woman was talking about. He takes out a sickly sweet soda and heads off, just as the door opens and the group comes out from the conference room.

The raven haired woman gazes after him but says nothing, used to seeing the man around there.

 

 

The morning was a little awkward, as Ichigo did not really know what to say.

It seemed that he had kept the man awake almost entire night while tossing and turning in his sleep due to a nightmare he could not remember.

The man already had a hair’s trigger so Ichigo could bet on it he was extremely short-tempered right now. He just watches as Grimmjow walks to the kitchen with a sour, tired expression and puts the coffee on, too little of an amount for two. After that, he digs out a sake bottle from the cabinet, making Ichigo lift eyebrow at him.

Sake and coffee in the morning? That was a weird combination and likely not a very good idea.

”The coffee’s for you, numbnuts.”

The man mutters before drinking from his glass, surprising Ichigo.

He says nothing however, still a bit too unnerved by Grimmjow’s moody expression. Eventually the coffee is done, and since the man shows no indication of getting up from his seat, Ichigo leaves the bed cautiously to pour himself a cup. He was near tip-toeing, extremely nervous about the man’s sour mood. Part of him felt like he’d been in this situation before, watching his every move and word in fear of retaliation from the man. Just what kind of relationship did they have? He walks to the table, noting his hands were lightly shaky, and he pointedly avoids Grimmjow’s gaze.

Not that he had to do much, given the man was clearly avoiding him as well.

Eventually however, the silence becomes near unbearable.

”.....How long exactly will we stay here?” Ichigo asks after a moment, his voice a bit uneasy. Grimmjow plants his glass back against the table harshly, making the orange haired male jump in surprise because of the sound it made.

”Goddammit Kurosaki! I told you already that a few days! Hell if I know how long it takes exactly!” The man half growls at him, making Ichigo back away in his chair and mutter out an apology.

This tenseness between them felt familiar alright, and the young man did not like it one bit.

The blunet releases a deep sigh and rubs his eyes, gathering his thoughts for a moment. Due to his exhausted state, it was hard not to snap over tiniest of things.

”Sorry if I...kept you up...”

”Wasn’t you.”

Grimmjow mumbles after a moment, dropping his hand to the table as he stares at his glass dully.

They fall silent again, Ichigo fidgeting nervously in his chair, while Grimmjow contemplated on throwing the glass he was holding against a wall or breaking something else. The more exhausted he was, the worse his violent impulses tended to be. Normally the man did not bother holding back, but right now he could not afford freaking Kurosaki out so he’d bolt off the door.

Which in turn made his blood boil even more.

”I...guess I could make some breakfast, given you are so tired.”

Ichigo offers tentatively, and Grimmjow just nods with a sigh, getting up and walking to his bag, digging out a cigarette pack. He lights one without a word, before slumping to the bed and gazing dully at the ceiling as the smoke rose up towards it. Ichigo eventually finishes his coffee and proceeds to make some breakfast, glancing at the man slumped on the bed at times.

He did not know exactly what to think right now.

The man seemed highly violent and temperamental, so in a way it did not make any sense for him to trust Grimmjow. However, some sort of subconscious instinct or so seemed to tell him that Grimmjow had been honest to him this whole time; that Ichigo’s friends were coming for him.

Still, he’d seen the blunet kill.

With a sigh, the fiery haired male rubs his eyes, figuring he should focus on the food for now. Once he was done cooking the eggs and bacon, Ichigo puts up to plates for both of them. For some reason he’d also picked out a bag of salted nuts for Grimmjow, again some sort of instinctive action.

Like he’d subconsciously known the man liked those.

After he was done setting up the table, Ichigo walks to the bed, noting the man had closed his eyes, the cigarette still held on his fingers. He was clearly awake, but did not react when Ichigo appeared beside him. After a moment of hesitation, the young man gently grasps his shoulder, and the blue eyes appear, glancing towards him with a stoic expression.

”The food’s ready.”

Grimmjow remains quiet, just sits up and turns his cigarette off against the nightstand. As Ichigo shifts to head to the table however, a strong hand snatches his wrist, and he freezes, turning slowly towards Grimmjow, who still had that stoic gaze on his face. For a moment he just examines the tense male quietly, as if he wanted to say something. In the end he apparently decides not to, as Grimmjow sighs irritated and shakes his head, getting up and releasing his wrist, fingers brushing against Ichigo’s palm in the process.

The ginger watches after him for a moment as the man walks to the table, then turns his gaze back to the bed, bringing up the hand Grimmjow had grabbed almost reflexively.

Part of him got a feeling the man had wanted to apologize for his earlier outburst, but had decided against it in the end for some reason.

”You gonna drag yer ass here or will I eat yer share too?”

The man grunts, sounding less hostile than before and throwing a handful of those salted nuts into his mouth. So ichigo's hunch had been right, he _did_ like those.

Ichigo shakes his head and walks back to the table as well, proceeding to eat the breakfast he’d cooked.

”This gotta be the first time ya cooked for me voluntarily.”

Grimmjow suddenly chuckles, and Ichigo glances up at him, surprised by the sudden shift in his mood. The man flashes him a light lazy grin, that somehow made his face flush lightly, and the younger male turns his gaze back to his food, wanting to hide his reaction.

”Oh? You don’t look like the type who would cook for someone.”

For his relief, Grimmjow doesn’t get angry over that remark, just snorts.

”Nah. I usually just raided yer fridge, and you were too much of a chicken to get between me and my food.”

Grimmjow pauses and his grin turns slightly sly now.

”Don’t blame ya for that; it’s a smart choice not to.”

Ichigo had no clue of the context of the man’s words, but somehow he felt like part of him wanted to laugh and roll his eyes.

Grimmjow was confusing.

Then again, given his lack of memory everything was.

Perhaps, if they’d start returning, he’d get a better sense of what was going on.

Except.... the thought was also a bit terrifying; there had to be a reason why his brain made him forget whatever had happened. He’d sank so deep in thought that Ichigo did not notice the blue eyes examining him, not until he lifts his gaze and their eyes meet.

Ichigo’s body freezes again, captured by the intense stare aimed at him. For a moment Grimmjow held his gaze, his expression unreadable, until the man shakes his head and allows Ichigo to breathe again as his eyes turn away.

”Two days or so, huh?”

The man mutters under his breath after putting his empty plate in the sink. Ichigo examined his expression, noting that there seemed to be an influx of emotion hidden beneath the seemingly calm surface. The man was holding all of it back, not wanting to freak his companion out further than he clearly already did.

”....You should perhaps rest, given how tired you look.”

The young man comments tentatively after a moment, and the blunet rubs his eyes with a sigh, looking at Ichigo skeptic.

”How do I know you ain’t gonna sprint outta door on me?”

”I won’t. I...feel I can trust you for now.”

Ichigo states, surprised by the conviction in his voice. It seems to surprise the man as well as he just stares at him quiet for a moment. Eventually though, a slight bitter chuckle escapes his lips, unnerving Ichigo lightly.

”I have a felling yer gonna change your mind once your memory starts returning.”

Leaving the young man ponder those ominous words, Grimmjow slumps down to the bed, and despite his chaotic mental state, the man actually manages to fall asleep rather fast.

 

 

When Grimmjow woke up, he felt marginally better now. The first thing he did was look around to locate the ginger. For his dismay, he could not spot Kurosaki at first, and the man stands up swiftly, cursing in his head; he should not have fallen asleep dammit! Not when Kurosaki was so trigger-happy for stupid bullshit right now. After a second however, he could hear water running, and the man realizes Kurosaki had gone to take a shower. His body relaxes by a fraction, but he was still on high alert.

Looking at the clock, he’d slept about an hour or so.

Glancing at the kitchen, Grimmjow notes for his amusement that Kurosaki had washed their dishes in his typical clean-freak fashion.

Some things were instinctive huh?

After a moment, the water stops running and few moments later, Ichigo opens the door with a towel on his waist and his clothes folded on his arms. He freezes at the doorway as he saw Grimmjow was up. The blue eyes take an inventory on his form, noting that the injuries were healing well, none of them leaking. The bandages would need changing soon though. Another thing Grimmjow noted, that he had not paid attention to earlier, was the fact Kurosaki desperately needed a fucking haircut, the orange locks reached past his shoulders already.

”Oh...you’re awake.”

The young man finally finds his voice, feeling uneasy beneath that stare.

”No shit.” Grimmjow mutters as an automatic reply, his gaze still raking over the younger man.

He felt a familiar urge tug in his gut, but the man knew better than to let himself be taken over by it right now. Kurosaki was already freaked out and confused, he did not need to make it worse.

”I uh....my clothes got wet accidentally, so...”

Ichigo mumbles out, likely trying to explain why he hadn’t dressed up inside the bathroom. Grimmjow sighs and rubs his eyes, nodding at the small closet. ”There’s more there.” Ichigo just nods and swiftly heads there, clearly not wanting to spend too much time bared like this.

He had always been kind of bashful about being nude around Grimmjow, but never to this extend. It was really annoying, seeing him tip-toeing around him about everything; past Kurosaki did not care even if he would trigger a violent reaction, he’d deal with the consequences afterwards.

He was not some fucking scaredy-cat.

His expression had to be pretty damn terrifying, when Ichigo quickly averted his gaze in slight unease as he came back out, dressed in a new pair of old jeans and a t-shirt in hand, about to be put on.

Grimmjow shakes his head to make his expression neutral again, and he gestures at the bandaging around the young man.

”Might wanna change those before you put the shirt on.”

Ichigo glances at the bandages, and then nods hesitantly after a moment, muttering that he saw a first aid kit in the bathroom. Before he could even take a step away from the closet doorway, Grimmjow turns on his heels and heads there, snatching the box and hear ordering him to sit down on the bed. Kurosaki did, clearly still tense as hell. Grimmjow worked swiftly, unwrapping Ichigo’s injuries and checking trough them. He could sense the ginger was really tense under his touch, but he ignored the bitter irritation it caused in him for now, focusing on the task at hand.

As he shifted to address the wound on Kurosaki’s head, the brown eyes glazed up at him with a mixture of unease and curiosity; Grimmjow was much gentler right now than how he usually came off as.

As the man tilted his head lightly to get a better look on the healing injury, his free hand fell to Ichigo’s neck, and his fingers began playing with the strands at the back of his neck subconsciously.

It was a habit he'd developed during the past year or so, and did it almost reflexively each time he got close to Kurosaki, even if they did not get intimate otherwise in any way.

It was easier now that his hair was longer too.

Ichigo tensed under that touch, but then his body strangely relaxed, as if the touch felt... familiar? The fingers left his hair almost as soon as they’d mingled in them, and the man reapplies a bandage around Ichigo’s head, before backing away and taking the first aid kit, stuffing the supplies back in it haphazardly before bringing the thing back to the bathroom.

Once he comes back, he noted Ichigo’s hand was rubbing the spot he’d touched, and his expression was still a mixture of confusion and uneasiness.

”Ya need a fucking haircut too.”

The man grunts, startling the ginger out of his thoughts, making him look up at Grimmjow with widened eyes. Seeing that look of unease annoyed the man so much, that he could not stop his words from escaping before they did.

”For fuck’s sake Kurosaki! Stop acting like I’m gonna stab you or something!”

Of course, this outburst has a negative effect, making the brown eyes widen and Ichigo back away, his body language turning defensive as he mutters out an apology. Fuck, he wanted Kurosaki to gain his memories back and fast, because he could not STAND that scared child look aimed at him.

It was not the Kurosaki he knew.

Getting him out of Grimmjow’s hands into proper care would be better for them both, because the man did not know how long he could stand that before his impulsive brain made him do something that would really fuck things up.

Either he needed the bastard to start remembering and FAST, or those fuckers needed to get Kurosaki out of here before he truly went crazy.

 

 

 

_He was strapped to a chair, unable to move a muscle, half-naked with only his boxers on._

_The pink haired scientist had been examining and prodding him for hours, even forcing him to summon out his flames with some sort of painful small device that initiated a shock on his brain, forcing Ichigo’s body to produce his elemental energy. He had done it so many times that Ichigo’s vision was blurry, and his entire body numb._

_”Extraordinary! Despite the long time since, bits of the foreign elemental energy still lingers within yours. This finding could truly shed some new light on elemental resonance and how to strengthen one’s power.”_

_The man makes some notes, clicking his tongue._

_”It is a shame though that the source of this is something as foul as Jeagerjaquez. I knew from the start that brute would be a problem. After that manor incident I was proven right in my assumption that Aizen-sama should have never taken him in.”_

_Ichigo almost wanted to roll his eyes._

_This guy could not shut up talking about Grimmjow, and now much he seemed to dislike the man even before he went crazy on them and tried to burn everybody to ashes with his overload._

_When it came to the scientific bullshit he uttered out in between mocking Grimmjow or the guard, Ichigo had no clue what the man was talking about, nor did he care._

_His brain was a muddled mess anyway, and he wanted to sleep so badly, having been kept awake for such a long time._

_”Now now, don’t look so sour; your unique situation is a blessing to the elemental research.”_

_The pink haired man states casually, before giving him another zap._

_It hurt, but not as bad as the first ones._

_Hell, these shocks were NOTHING compared to what Grimmjow could produce._

_The thought made him smirk._

_The expression did not go unnoticed, and the pink haired male inquires the strapped officer what was so amusing. Ichigo’s grin grew, and while he was aware saying what he was going to was probably bad idea, he did not care right now._

_”That little toy of yours...it barely tickles compared to Grimmjow’s lightning.”_

_As Ichigo had noted, the man was touchy about his skills and devices being undermined, so predictably his face twists into an angry smirk, and the next shock was a lot worse, making his flames dance around his hands erratically._

_The only reason they did not melt the bindings around his wrists was the fact they were made to be elemental proof._

_Ichigo bears through the pain, biting his lip, making it bleed._

_Once it’s over, he coughs the blood out and smirks at the pink haired man, who still looked rattled._

_”You’re so much weaker than him, is that why you resort into trying to imitate his ability like this?”_

_Another, violent shock coursed through his body, far more lasting than was strictly necessary, only done to torture him really._

_Ichigo smirked sardonically even as he finally passed out._

 

 

 

Ichigo woke up in panic, nearly jumping off the bed as he was covered in flames.

It was his own elemental power so it did not harm him, but sure as hell burned the cabin floor and the bedsheets. He did not realize the damage he was doing however, too far in to his panic. He did not know what it was, only that his instincts were urging him to run. Suddenly a heavy weight pinned him to the floor, and his hands were forced above his head.

Ichigo struggles against the grip, but in his panicked state he was unable to summon enough power to get the person off him. Not to mention, his flames were snuffed out again, as the more he panicked, the harder it was for him to control it.

”Calm. The. Fuck. Down. Kurosaki.”

A familiar tone snaps him out of it, and the brown orbs stare up at the pair of blue eyes peering down at him from the darkness. The edges of Grimmjow’s clothes were burned thanks to his flames, and there was even a slight burn on his chest, going up to his neck, but his arms closest to the flames that had now dissipated were unharmed, likely because Grimmjow had coated them with his own elemental energy.

Ichigo could feel a buzzing, tingling feeling from each spot they touched.

It was a familiar sensation again, and somehow, it helped to calm down his racing heart.

Eventually his terror was replaced by guilt as he looked at the slight burn on Grimmjow’s neck and chest. The man followed his gaze and shakes his head, slowly getting off Ichigo once he was certain the damn dumbass would not bolt and turn into a walking candle. Ichigo gets up shakily, taking support from the bed.

For a moment he just gazes at his hands, as if expecting to catch on fire at random again.

Then his gaze lifts up at the slight injury on Grimmjow’s neck.

”L-let me fix that...” He stutters out, reaching for the man tentatively.

For a moment the blunet just stares at him annoyed, wanting to tell Kurosaki it was not a big deal as he’d had worse injuries before, but thought better of it given how shaken the young man still was.

Without a word, Grimmjow nods slightly and sits down to the bed, waiting as the kid gets the first aid kit as well as a cool, water soaked cloth. The burn was not as bad as it initially looked, but Ichigo was still very careful when addressing it.

”A nightmare huh?”

”I...I’m not sure. I can’t quite remember it.” Ichigo states after a moment of hesitation.

All he could recall was a sensation of pain.

In fact...it was kind of similar to an electric shock...

Ichigo freezes and stares at the blue haired man as fear creeps up into him again. Was that memory...about Grimmjow?

About him...doing something to him?

It would make sense.

It made much more sense than the strange subconscious trust he seemed to have for the man. The blunet seems to catch on onto his sudden unease as he lifts eyebrow questioningly. Ichigo swallows down nervously and finishes addressing the burn, before hastily getting up and delivering the kit back to the bathroom. For a moment he just leans against the sink and stares at his wide-eyed reflection uneasy. His face had gone pale, and he could feel the warm sensation creep into his hands again, but Ichigo swallowed it down for now.

If...if it was true that Grimmjow had...done something to him, how could be sure his intentions were good this time around; what proof did he actually have that the man was protecting him?

Sure he’d dealt with those guys Ichigo had known were after him, but it did not mean he’d done it to save Ichigo.

For all he knew, he could have been led into a trap.

There had to be a reason why his mind seemed so tense around the blunet. Plus...if he thought of it that way, then the small moments of comfort he’d had around the man so far were actually disturbing, when you put them in such a context.

Suddenly he feels eyes on him, and Ichigo turns around, finding the man lean against the doorway with his arms crossed, a frown on his face. He felt trapped, his only route to escape blocked by the man’s strong frame. Ichigo tried to force his heartbeat to calm down, but it felt near impossible right now. Grimmjow examines him quietly for a moment, before sighing and rubbing his eyes.

”I’m going back to sleep. Do what ya want, just don’t leave the house or burn it down.”

With that, he was out of Ichigo’s sight, and the young man is left standing there, trying to organize his thoughts and calm down. He might be jumping to conclusions here; the truth was he knew of nothing solid right now given his memory loss, so perhaps he was misreading the situation.

Plus…he had said earlier he trusted the man, and he’d believed his own words at the time, even if it didn’t make sense.

After a moment, he manages to force his legs to move, and Ichigo slips out of the bathroom, noting that the man had indeed gone back to sleep on the couch, arm dangling carelessly over the edge. Ichigo examined him for a moment, trying to tug whatever memory from his brain to have a better grasp on the situation. Nothing. All he got was plenty of conflicting sensations as usual.

With a defeated sigh, Ichigo walls back to the bed and sits down, not really feeling sleepy.

His gaze drifts back at the man’s bag, and after a moment of hesitation, he slips his hand into it, pulling out the notebook from earlier. He flips through the pages slowly again, taking a closer look to the writings there. It was clearly a list of places and people, likely information he’d dug up for his ’freelancer’ work, whatever that meant exactly. However, Ichigo could not stop but note that when his name appeared, the text was slightly different.

Instead of just listing the date and a place beneath the name, or some other important sounding information, the short sentences written beneath his name were more...personal?

 

**_“Holy fuck, I know he likes to preach, but getting him drunk is a bad idea. Fucker won’t shut up.”_ **

**_“Why the fuck would anyone name their kid strawberry? He ain’t even sweet. Sour fucker trough-and-trough.”_ **

**_“If he’s going ta keep a sake-bottle around fer me, it shoulda at least be a better brand, cheap bastard.”_ **

 

Ichigo could not stop but snort a bit at those comments; granted, he’d gathered already that Grimmjow was a bit of a dickhead, but those comments confirmed it beyond any reasonable doubt.

As he finds the last mention of his name, he notes the tone in it was different from the rest; it was marked for almost six months ago, which did match Grimmjow’s story about him being missing for that long.

**_”Something’s wrong with him. The stubborn fucker won’t admit it.”_ **

Something was wrong with him before he disappeared? That sounded strange, or rather strangely coincidental. Ichigo frowns, then gets up and walks to the kitchen cabinet, searching through them. Not finding what he was looking for, the young man heads into the closet now and eventually finds what he needed; paper and pen to write, as well as a small flashlight.

He sits down to the kitchen table and turns on the flashlight, propping it up to a glass to have a bit of light without having to turn on the much brighter headlamp on the ceiling, and begins systematically listing the things he knew, or what Grimmjow had told him. He had no clue if any of it was true.

 

_\- He was a fire elemental. Fact_

_\- Grimmjow is a lightning elemental. Fact_

_\- Grimmjow knew him from somewhere, also a fact._

_\- He is a police officer in Seireitei Guard (?)_

_\- Missing for six months. Likely true_

_\- He’d been found near Rukongai, suffering from amnesia. Likely trauma-based as his injuries were not serious enough to cause it_

_\- The blue haired man, whatever their history was, it was clearly complicated._

_\- Has said that he’s seen Ichigo naked before (why? In what context?)_

_\- His anger causes tenseness, as if he was expecting to be injured. (Doesn’t usually happen)_

_\- Did treat his wounds. An undeniable fact._

_\- Wants him to stay in the house until his friends pick him up (two days, but is this true?)_

_\- Sometimes causes... strange reactions._

 

 

Ichigo gazes at the list and sighs, as his mind still had not cleared one bit.

He lifts his gaze to look outside from the window, though there wasn’t much to see except the blackness of the surrounding forest and night sky. Except, suddenly, his eyes spot movement somewhere within the darkness outside, making the young man frown; cautiously, Ichigo turns off the flashlight, and gets up in order to sneak closer to the window, peeking outside.

He could not see a thing at first, but then as his eyes begin adjusting, he could tell there was a figure sneaking around on the yard. It was strange and alarming. Before Ichigo could decide what to do, an arm yanks him away from the window just as a ray of bullets hits it, shattering the window and one of them hitting the flashlight on the table, breaking it.

“What the…”

Ichigo’s pulse was racing mile a minute, and he stares up at the blue haired man who’d tugged him to safety to the floor, away from the window and the line of sight from the shooter.

“For fuck’s sake…”

The blunet grunts irritated, his eyes scanning their surroundings.

He could sense two people outside, one of them heading at the back of the house, likely to cut off an escape route.

“Who are they?”

Ichigo whispers, his voice tense and rightfully so.

“Likely the same people that chased after ya in Rukongai, or their partners.”

A dark grin spread on Grimmjow’s face and it unnerved Ichigo to no end as he recalled the brutal death two of them had faced in his hands just a day or so earlier.

“It’s pretty fuckin’ stupid ta send only two of ‘em against me.” The man comments with a slightly bloodthirsty tone, but there was also a bit of suspicion there.

“What are we gonna do?”

Before Grimmjow could reply, the back-door was kicked open and a large guy stomps in, a guy Grimmjow knew.

“Jeagerjaquez! I thought you kicked the bucket!” Yammy booms at him with a loud laugh.

“Shoulda have known that hit I gave ya was not gonna bust yer thick goddamn skull open.” Grimmjow mutters, shifting up and standing between Yammy and Ichigo, who was staring up at the big guy in shock.

The man just laughs again and shakes his head; his grin so wide Ichigo had a feeling this guy could literally chomp someone’s head off.

“Now why ta fuck did you guys come n’ shoot my window to shit like that?” Grimmjow growls at Yammy, who did not seem intimidated by the sparkles of electricity surrounding the blunet. Suddenly the front door opens, and they both turn to look at the smaller, blonde man that steps in.

He was much more timid than Yammy, clearly more conscious of the energy buzzing around Grimmjow.

“Tesla, huh? Shoulda have known that Nnoitra’s lapdog would cause a mess like this.”

The man swallows down and walks closer, glancing at Yammy disapproving.

“We were not supposed to go against Jeagerjaquez. I told you not to shoot.”

“I wanted to give an old friend a warm hello!” The man laughs, gaining a long suffering sigh from the smaller man.

“You almost hit Kurosaki, we were supposed to capture him alive!”

The big man pauses, then smiles sheepishly, rubbing his head.

“My bad!”

Tesla releases a long-suffering sigh, then turns to look at Grimmjow again, who was still shielding Ichigo from them both like a fierce bloodhound.

“We do not wish to cause a ruckus here. Aizen-Sama knows better than to further agitate your volatile temper, given what happened last time.” Tesla’s voice shakes lightly, as he had been there when he happened; he’d survived by miracle, and managed to escape before the Guard caught him.

Witnessing the carnage this man had done… he still had nightmares about it.

Tesla had not wanted to go to this mission, but you did not say no to Aizen.

“Aizen can go suck it; I’m already gonna make sure he’s taken out for good.”

“You never were the most reasonable one out of us!” Yammy laughs, gaining a warning glance from Tesla again.

Ichigo could tell how afraid the blond was of Grimmjow, and he did not blame the man.

“Let’s just kick his ass and snatch the cop, we don’t need ta try an’ talk sense to this hotheaded fool!” Yammy smirks widely at Grimmjow, whose electric aura just intensifies in a warning, and he glares at the big guy with a ferocious grin.

“Try me, big guy. We KNOW how that’s gonna end!”

While the two square off, Ichigo’s eyes drift at the smaller man, and he realizes the blond was taking advantage of Grimmjow’s distraction, pulling out what seemed like an unusual kind of device. It kind of looked like… Ichigo’s eyes widen, and he quickly pushes himself up, knocking Grimmjow out of the way just as the shot heads his way, hitting Ichigo instead; it was almost like a small needle, except that the stuff in it wasn't a tranquilizer.

Grimmjow and the two watch in surprise as the orange haired male stumbles to the floor, his entire body convulsing and twitching, while his flames popped in and out of existence at random.

“Shit!” Tesla exclaims and aims the device at his original target, but the blunet was already on him before he could fire it, kicking him against the wall, before striking him with a lightning coated fist into the gut, electrocuting the blond until he was bleeding from his nose and ears, slumping to the floor badly injured.

“This is more like it!” Yammy declares and charges at Grimmjow, who just growls and blocks his punch, before striking him with the same kind of intensity he’d used on Tesla.

Perhaps it was because the guy was bigger, but he did not react as badly, only stumbling back and crashing against the table, breaking it.

“Man, I missed fighting you! Nobody Aizen got left got the kind of spunk you have!” The man laughs then charges at him with a growl.

Grimmjow dodges the punch aimed at him, making it land at the wall behind him, cracking it.

The man slips away from Yammy and comes up behind him, striking his foot hard at the man’s spine, before sending an electric jolt through it, actually making the bastard fly through the wall and land somewhere in the yard. His head whips around at a noise, and he realizes Tesla had gotten up, aiming the device he had at Grimmjow. The man dodges the shot again, knowing if that hit him, it could incapacitate him.

He’d seen those devices before when working with Aizen; they were special kind of paralyzers that would shut down an elemental’s access to his powers temporarily.

They would also paralyze their body like what had happened with Kurosaki.

He moves forward and manages to grasp the damned thing, breaking it in his hand before forcing Tesla against the wall by his throat with an angry snarl escaping from his throat. His entire body was coated with his energy now, and the smaller male let’s out an involuntary whimper, clearly terrified for his life now.

“Why the fuck did they send you two? Yer weak as FUCK compared to me. Aizen shoulda know that much.”

Tesla doesn’t say anything, just stares at him. He could have tried to use his elemental power to get out of this pinch, except his fear was paralyzing him, making the man unable to do so. Besides, he was naturally weaker than Grimmjow in any case, and there was no chance he could take the man on when he was on his full strength.

“Maybe I should just fuckin’ kill you right now; as a favor fer Harribel for what you and your bastard master did to her.”

Grimmjow’s smirk was near demonic right now, and the color disappeared from Tesla’s face.

“What? ya thought people didn’t know?”

Grimmjow mocks the young man, adrenaline clouding his awareness; all he seemed to be able to focus on right now was taunting his prey, terrorizing it.

“Thank yer luck I did not give two shits about anything back then, ‘cause if I’d told Aizen about what you two did…”

He let’s go of the man’s throat and grasps his head instead, clearly intending to kill or at least shock him so badly he’d end up in coma.

“He’d have ya two disposed pretty fuckin’ fast, given how bloody important Oderschvank was ta his plans.”

 

Suddenly a sharp pain hits his body and Grimmjow releases the blond, falling to the floor. He spots Yammy from the corner of his eye, and curses inwardly at losing control of himself; of COURSE the bastard had one too, even if he was not keen on using it.

“You still have a bad habit of getting too into your little games, Jeagerjaquez!” Yammy states victorious, then looks at Tesla who crawled away from Grimmjow in a hurry, still pale.

“Aizen did ask us to let you live for now, but honestly it’s too pathetic, looking at you right now.”

Yammy comments casually, walking towards him.

His fist morphs into a pile of rocks, and he aims at Grimmjow’s head. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m just returning the favor from when you sent me flying and crashing against a kiddie pool somewhere.”

Before he could strike his fist down however, a flame hits him in the head, making the man hit the wall above Grimmjow’s head instead.

“What the…?”

Ichigo throws another flame at the two, forcing them to back away from Grimmjow, and he quickly dashes to the blunet, dragging him away from the two towards the open door.

“Why didn’t ya shock him again!?” Yammy demands from his companion, who reminds him that Grimmjow had broken his device.

With a frustrated huff, the big guy lumbers after them, so Ichigo summons more of his flame and sets that whole side of the cabin on fire, stopping the man on his tracks briefly. He felt bad for burning down an estate that apparently belonged to a boss of his, but he needed time to get away from the two, and Grimmjow was seemingly down for count.

Once they make it outside however, Grimmjow actually manages to stagger on his feet somewhat, and Ichigo quickly drags them towards their car, only to discover the tires were emptied.

“Shit!”

He looks around and spots the car the two had come there with. Before he can drag them to it, Grimmjow suddenly grasps his shoulder and stops him.

“What? We don’t have time; they’ll be here within seconds!”

Sure enough, as he said that a wall is broken down, and Yammy walks through the hole coughing out smoke, stomping towards them with that same paralyzer in hand.

“They got trackers in their cars, we can’t use it.”

“Then what are we supposed to do!?”

Grimmjow’s expression was strangely determined, as he tugs Ichigo closer all of a sudden, so they were near face-to-face.

“Hang on; I can’t promise this’ll work, but I have a reason ta believe so.”

Before Ichigo could even begin to process the situation, his world is filled with intense tingling and a bright blue light. A sense of vertigo hit him a second later, and for a brief moment, it almost felt like he was weightless.

The buzzing feeling became more and more intense until it almost hurt.

Then, everything suddenly went quiet, and the feeling of gravity hit right back at him, so heavy that he almost fell to the ground. No, it was not the gravity, as Ichigo realizes the blunet fell to the ground now, clearly exhausted.

Ichigo looks around in panic, and then realizes he was no longer at the cabin yard.

They… they were in an alleyway somewhere.

He could not see the two anywhere around them, and he slowly begins to realize that they had…somehow teleported away from the cabin. A cough and a slight tired chuckle caught his attention, and Ichigo looks down at Grimmjow, who was smirking at him tiredly.

“Knew it would work…Normally I cannot take anyone with me like that, but given our elements sorta match…”

He coughs out blood, and Ichigo crouches down next to him quickly, panic settling in again.

“What do I do?”

Grimmjow makes a face, and then looks towards something. There was an open door, leading into a building next to them.

After a second of hesitation, Ichigo grasps Grimmjow’s arm and tugs it over his shoulder, dragging the man in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yay, chapter two  
> Some familiar faces start popping up. I had to go check on my older fic several times to see which characters are dead and which are not.  
> Apparently I did not kill as many important characters in the last one as I thought.  
> Luppi was the only one to kick the bucket really, which was a given.  
> He's kinda destined to be skewered by the blue cat.  
> You will learn more of their elemental abilites and effects in this fic. Last one focused mainly on basics.


	3. Flares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grimmjow and Ichigo head to a new safehouse of sorts, which turns out to be the home of somebody that is deadly afraid of the blue haired elemental.  
> Grimmjow's temper starts flaring big time now, and Ichigo tries his best to deal with it.

The building seemed to be an old abandoned living complex.

It had once been buzzing with life but all that was left now was trash and dust littering every nook and cranny like in most abandoned buildings. There was an old couch on the corner, below the staircase that led to the upper floors. Ichigo drags Grimmjow there and lets him lie down on the dusty surface.

”What is this house?”

”Clearly an old one.”

Grimmjow snorts and then smirks at his irritated glare.

”Why did you come here?” Ichigo asks after a moment, and the man shrugs, averting his gaze. He clearly was hiding something from the ginger right now, but Ichigo figured the question was not important anyway.

”What did do exactly?”

Grimmjow remains quiet for a moment, making Ichigo think he fell asleep. Eventually however the man answers.

”As a lightning elemental I can pretty much travel at that speed for a brief period. Basically it means I teleport from one spot ta another in the eyes of an onlooker.” Ichigo looks at him with widened eyes, gaining another snort and eye roll.

”Basic stuff, really. Normally I cannot take someone with me as I cannot turn their body into lightning energy like mine. They’d pretty much die due to the extreme speed and splatter themselves all over the place.”

Ichigo did not enjoy the sinister grin on the man’s face at all.

”Yer an exception though; given I’ve already shared my energy with ya, and you bein’ in the same element group, I figured it could work and I was right.”

Grimmjow seemed triumphant of his deduction, and even Ichigo had to admit he was little impressed how he’d been able to make that calculated decision so quickly in that situation.

”Now what?”

The blunet pushes himself up after a moment and rubs his eyes, gazing into thin air for a moment as his arm rested loosely on his knee. Ichigo noted he was no longer coughing blood, making him wonder what had made him do so earlier.

”Bit my tongue. I had to focus a lot more than usual.” The man explains simply, brushing the blood off his lips before he gets up and looks around.

There was a strange emotion in his eyes that Ichigo could not place, but he decided not to ask for now.

”Since my phone and stuff was left there, I got no way of informing Harribel about what the hell happened.” The man mutters more to himself than Ichigo, brushing his hair as he paces around, clearly thinking what to do next.

Ichigo watches him walk around for a moment, then stands up and informs the man he was going to go look around for a bit to see if he found anything useful.

Grimmjow doesn’t seem to be fully listening as he just waves his hand at Ichigo.

The young man walks upstairs, again displeased that he did not have proper clothing; he’d been sleeping on his boxers and a t-shirt, so that was what he had on, not even socks.

Grimmjow was on full get-up as he hadn’t bothered dressing down, likely because the man was naturally more alert in case they had to run for it. Ichigo stops at the upper end of the stairs with a small curse, as he’d gotten a splinter on his feet. He jumps around on one foot for a bit to get it out, before continuing his investigation. The upper floor had a wider space to it, and as Ichigo looks around, it seemed like some sort of lounge space or so for multiple people to spend time together. Glncing outside from the dusty windows, Ichigo noted that he could spot the early signs of sunrise, as the sky began to change color slowly. So it was early morning already, huh? He had not really been keeping track of time due to the hectic nature of last few days.

As ichigo looked around some more, he began to feel this house was not just your average apartment complex.

The area had few old couches to it as well, but what surprised Ichigo was the old box of...children’s toys in the corner. He walks to it curiously, looking through the dusty bin. There were old dolls, plushies, a broken toy train and other, equally old and broken things in it.

Ichigo gets up and walks forward to the short corridor, which led him to a half-open door that was partially off its hinges.

The young man sneaks in and finds himself in what seemed like an old office space of so. There was a desk, a large chair, lots of shelves with old books and paperwork in them. There were also pictures on the wall. They were partially bleached, but Ichigo could still make out what was in them. Kids, a lot of children, alongside an old man and sometimes other adults.

Was this place....perhaps it used to be some sort of orphanage?

Ichigo walks to the desk and opens the cabinets in it, soon finding an old, dusty book. As he blew the dust off it, a name was revealed.

”Menos Orphanage? So this is Menos village?”

Ichigo could recall faintly having heard the name of this place somewhere before, likely relating to a case perhaps, given he was an officer. Curiously, he opens the book and the first thing he saw was a picture of the same old man from the photos, as well as a name scribbled beneath it. Ichigo could not really read the old, worn text as it was written with such faint and curvy writing.

However, the contents of the book had been written with a thicker pen and clearer handwriting. It was a list of names; the book was likely a list of all the kids that had been in this place.

Each name below had a date on it, likely indicating when the child had been brought to the place.

Some also had the letter ’E’ after the name, which Ichigo did not quite understand.

As he scrolled through the pages, his eyes suddenly saw a familiar name appear at the end of one name list.

 

**_Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez, Age 6, E._ **

 

Ichigo’s eyes widen in shock, then he notices there was more written beneath his name.

 

**_”Family likely died due to an involuntary elemental burst.”_ **

 

He just stares at those words in shock, having not expected to find something like this.

Suddenly a noise catches his attention, and as Ichigo looks up, he finds Grimmjow leaning against the doorway, hands in his pockets. His gaze was unreadable, but Ichigo still put the book away quickly, feeling like he was snooping into something he shouldn’t. Without a word, the blunet paces into the room and stops in front of one of the photographs.

After a moment of hesitation, Ichigo walks beside him.

As he takes a closer look at the group photo, Ichigo realizes there was a very familiar pair of blue eyes looking back at him amongst the crowd of children.

”....Was this place your childhood home?”

”Aye. Was brought here after my parents...died.”

Ichigo did not ask anything about that, he had red what had likely happened from the book, and based on the darkened expression on Grimmjow’s face, what was written there was likely the sad truth.

”The old man who ran this place, Shawlong, he managed ta teach me how ta control my powers better. He was more of a father than my....”

Grimmjow cuts himself off with a huff and turns his gaze aside, clearly dealing with a painful memory. Ichigo remains quiet, and then cautiously reaches for the photo to brush off some dust from it. He examines the child Grimmjow almost curiously, noting he already had his scowl at that age, although he looked undeniably more innocent and cuter.

”He was my subordinate later on; Aizen probably signed him to that post so there was somebody who could keep me in check.”

Grimmjow pauses and his expression turns darker.

“Aizen killed him.”

Ichigo’s eyes widen and he looks up at Grimmjow in shock, but the blunet shakes his head.

”Ya already know about it. You just don’t remember.”

Right. If he was supposed to know already, there was no point in making Grimmjow talk about such painful thing again.

”Why is this place...abandoned? Was it because...because of what happened to him?”

Grimmjow shakes his head again and brushes through his hair with a sigh, walking around and examining the old office quietly. It was kind of nostalgic to be there, but it also left a bitter taste in his mouth, as it reminded him what had happened.

”Nah. After Aizen recruited him to watch after me 24/7 in Hueco Mundo, Shawlong had no choice but ta close ta place down. Ya did not say no to Aizen.”

“Why did he think you needed supervision?”

Grimmjow looks down at him like he was a dumbass. After thinking about it for a moment, Ichigo figured that the answer was pretty obvious, given how temperamental and powerful Grimmjow was.

“Aizen can’t have one o’ his chess pieces act out against his wishes, can he?”

Grimmjow mutters venomously under his breath, gazing back at the photo briefly.

Ichigo frowns at that; he kept hearing that name over and over, yet had no memory of who it was. Then again, it was clear that man was highly influential, and likely a monster.

”.....I’m sorry.”

Grimmjow looks at him baffled. ”For what?”

”That you had to come here and re-live those painful memories. That you had to go through them at all.”

Kurosaki’s tone was so disgustingly honest, that Grimmjow almost wanted to laugh. Why the hell did this bastard keep offering him his sympathy? Even when he DID have his memory, Grimmjow knew all too well the shithead would still say that. The man says nothing of what he thinks however, knowing he had bigger issues to deal with.

”I kinda wish I had more clothes; I already stubbed my feet on a splinter.” Ichigo mutters all of a sudden, leaning against the table and checking his foot. It still hurt a bit, and he wondered if something was still stuck in the skin.

Grimmjow snorts at that, gaining a slight annoyed look from Ichigo.

”Easy for you to act that way, I did not expect having to suddenly sprint.”

”Ya seemed highly ready to sprint off earlier.”

Grimmjow snaps at him, making Ichigo shut up and look away. After watching the young man quietly for a moment, Grimmjow sighs and rubs his eyes, heading to the back room of the office. A moment later he comes out with a pair of old shoes, throwing them at Ichigo.

”Might be a bit small, but yer feet are already tiny so they should work for now.”

Ichigo gives him an annoyed glare more reminiscent of his usual self, before tugging them on, honestly relieved to have some cover for his feet.

”Proper pants would be nice too.”

”Ain’t got extra, so you gotta deal with that for now.”

Ichigo shakes his head, muttering something under his breath.

”So, what are we going to do now?”

A slight, dark grin appeared on Grimmjow’s face again, and it unnerved Ichigo to no end.

”I do have an idea where to go.”

”Your expression doesn’t really promise anything good.”

Grimmjow actually chuckles at his pointed look, and the man smirks at him lazily, his earlier bitter mood briefly forgotten.

”Relax, it’s not anythin’ bad fer you. I just have a feeling _she_ ain’t gonna be too happy to see me.”

Ichigo frowns at that, not liking the implications of his words. However, he did not really have a better plan, and given the town was only few miles from the cabin, they’d likely have to move and fast.

”Where is _she_ , and how do we get there?”

Grimmjow just smirks at him, and then nods towards downstairs.

”First let’s snatch ya some proper clothing from somewhere, and then I’ll show ya.”

 

 

 

They in the end just took some clothes for Ichigo from a clothesline left outside to dry; the young man felt bad for stealing them, but Grimmjow shrugged it off and just told him stuff like this happened all the time in Menos. After that, the man led Kurosaki to the small train station in the village.

”There ain’t much o’those that stop by here, but I happen ta know a certain cargo train that goes through here and heads to the place we are going.”

Ichigo lifts eyebrow at that.

”So we are hitching a ride? I thought you’d just steal a car again or something.”

”Nah, they’d expect that and likely watch the roads already.”

”But if the train is not going to stop...”

”It will slow down here even if it doesn’t stop numbnuts.” Grimmjow mutters at him irritated, glancing around the old station.

There were no people here at this time, which did not surprise him; being a small town, more of a village, the activity in such a place was minimal.

”How far away is the place we are going?”

”About five hours ride I’d say.”

Ichigo’s eyes widen; he did not like the idea of being stuck in an uncomfortable train cart for that long.

However, it seemed to be the best plan they had for now given he had none, so Ichigo swallowed his complaint.

It did not take too long for them to hear the rumble of the train, and as Grimmjow had predicted, it slowed down its speed enough for them to hop onboard in one of the rear-end carts. It was filled with boxes of something, but there was enough space for the two to at least sit, even if they had to be uncomfortably close, at least in Ichigo’s mind. Grimmjow seemed fine about it, indicating he’d done this train hopping before.

It was uncomfortable, sitting upright in such a cramped space, right beside Grimmjow.

Ichigo had opted to at least sit the opposite way from him, so his legs rested beside Grimmjow instead of having to lean against his shoulder awkwardly.

”You could have chosen more spacious cart.”

”Ya can go n’ switch if ya like, princess.” Grimmjow snorts at him, clearly amused by Ichigo’s discomfort.

The orange haired male huffs and curls up, wrapping his arms around his knees. Despite the jumper and jeans he now had, it was still chilly. Eight hours in this cramped space? Ichigo felt he would likely go crazy already in the ten minutes mark if he had to sit in this uncomfortable position for the whole journey.

He could not understand how Grimmjow could be so relaxed, despite the fact he could not even outstretch his legs the same way as Ichigo, given he was taller.

Perhaps the bastard was as uncomfortable as him, but pretended to not be affected just to make Ichigo feel bad about his complaining.

After he shifted around and adjusted his position several times, the blunet finally lets out an irritated grunt and grasps the ginger’s arm all of a sudden, tugging him closer until he basically set on Grimmjow’s lap, back pressed against him.

The ginger protests with a flushed face, but Grimmjow just tells him to shut up, shifting him until the young man rested his head against his chest.

It was...honestly more comfortable than the box he’d leaned on earlier, but Ichigo was still uneasy.

After the man began to play with the hair at the back of his neck however, Ichigo began to relax almost involuntarily, and his eyes slid closed with a sigh.

 

 

 

_His brain was complete mush. Ichigo shifted, rolling on his side on the floor._

_This was...he had no clue how many days it had been._

_The pink haired bastard kept prodding and poking at him and his powers almost every day, and he still did not know why._

_At times, he kept Ichigo so badly sedated that he could not really react to anything that happened around him._

_It was humiliating, and frustrating; he wanted to get out, but had no energy or ability to do so by himself._

_The sedatives, the elemental negating cuffs, it all worked against him._

_He also did not like the other ones he saw at times; looking at him like he was a circus animal at display._

_Why hadn’t his friends found him yet?_

_Why hadn’t Grimmjow come and saved his ass already?_

_He’d done it so often... Had the man stopped caring about him?_

_Ichigo almost wanted to snort._

_It was not like he truly cared in the first place._

_He was hanging around Ichigo out of convenience._

_....Right?_

 

 

 

 

Ichigo was startled awake as the train jerked a little, perhaps slowing down for a harder turn or so. He was still sitting on Grimmjow’s lap, relatively comfortable pressing against his warmth.

The blunet’s eyes were closed and his breathing steady, indicating he was asleep.

Ichigo decided not to wake him, and just examined his sleeping face. Grimmjow’s frown was still in place, and Ichigo could not stop but note how...protectively the man held him.

It was... he was not sure what to think.

However, Ichigo began to have a hunch that perhaps Grimmjow’s nastiness and violent temper he’d displayed was more of a front the man held up. Moments like these felt more genuine than his angry outbursts.

Perhaps because the man allowed himself to be slightly more vulnerable during them, indicating that he trusted Ichigo in some level.

The fact he was asleep right now, having dropped his guard so clearly indicated that.

His brown eyes kept examining the man’s every feature, his sharp jawline, his wild blue hair that had some strands falling on his face. Gently, and without thinking about it too much, Ichigo brushes those few locks aside from his face. The man did not stir, but his head tilted slightly towards Ichigo, making the younger male smile for some reason. He nests his head back against the warm chest, figuring Grimmjow would wake up and know when they had to ditch the train.

As he did so, the arms around him tightened slightly, tugging Ichigo further in to the warm hold.

It was likely a subconscious action, as Ichigo had a feeling the man would not do that willingly if he was conscious.

At least... not in that manner.

He’d originally tugged Ichigo there to make him stop complaining, at least that was likely the thought process the man had had in his head. Any further affectionate behavior was likely unconscious.

Ichigo did not mind it right now, but he also knew it raised big questions in his already confused brain. Right now however, he just focused on trying to be as comfortable as he could during this unpleasant train trip.

 

 

 

Rukia stared in horror at the ruins of the safe-house.

They had arrived early in the morning to the location Harribel had pointed out to them, only to find the house in a smoldering ruin, alongside a car with punctured tires, and tire tracks from another vehicle that was gone.

”What the hell happened here?” Renji questions, worry and dread creeping into his head as he rushes towards the ruins, calling out Ichigo’s name even if he knew it was likely in vain.

Rukia steps into the ruins as well, searching around the place.

She had a feeling the flames that burned down the place were caused by Ichigo, but the woman could not be sure. As she steps into the area that used to be the bedroom, Rukia soon spots something of interest; there was a half-burned bag, sitting nearby the ruins of the bed. She walks to it and manages to find something relatively intact in it; a charred phone - clearly not Ichigo’s - and a notebook.

It had miraculously survived the flames, but as she opens it, she notes it is not Ichigo’s handwriting.

Which meant, this bag likely had belonged to Jeagerjaquez.

What disturbs her was the fact it had Ichigo’s name written on it, multiple times even, alongside snippy comments below that were quite crude and nasty in several cases.

As she reads through it, it was obvious Jeagerjaquez had been writing down his Intel to this book, which he later had given to Harribel, who in turn handed it over to them. Why Ichigo was mentioned in it, she could not understand.

”You find something?”

”I think so. This must be Jeagerjaquez’ notes. Ichigo is mentioned a lot.”

Renji rushes to her and grasps the book from her hands, checking trough it with widened eyes. ”Why the hell is Ichi’s name here so many times? Was that fucker stalking him?”

”No....it honestly sounds like he was... visiting Ichigo.” Rukia comments with a frown as she stands back up, crossing her arms and looking around with a frown.

As the redhead red trough the words on the notebook, he came to the same conclusion.

Based on the comments the man had written, it did sound more like he’d been visiting Ichigo rather than stalking him.

”Why the heck would he do that though?” Renji asks, and then as he turns a page, a paper slips out of it.

Rukia picks it up, instantly recognizing Ichigo’s neat handwriting. It was a list of some sort, blackened from the edges but still readable. As the woman read the words written on it, it sounded a bit like Ichigo had been trying to piece together his own memory, what he knew at that point.

”Isn’t that Ichigo’s handwriting?”

”Yes. It seems he either remembered some bits, or Jeagerjaquez filled him in on the situation.”

Renji frowns at that, not understanding why the bastard would help Ichigo in any way. He did not trust the crazy elemental at all.

”Complicated history? What the heck does that mean? What’s complicated about him being a dick and trying to kill Ichigo?”

Rukia hums with a frown, thinking back on the words Harribel had said. She had questioned whenever they truly knew all of the events that had transpired, what had been going inside Ichigo’s head.

Plus... there was still the fact that they had not understood when Ichigo had revealed it, a fact they still could not wrap their heads around of.

Why had he gotten intimate with a man as crazy as Jeagerjaquez?

Rukia sighs and asks Renji to go and get the evidence bag, as it was better if they started gathering clues as soon as possible.

”Also, take a picture from those tire-tracks, they might lead to something.”

”Should we also use the Elemental Energy tracer?”

Rukia just nods; the Elemental Energy Tracer, or EET in sort, was a device that could detect if an elemental had been in the area, and what type of an elemental it had been. Rukia knew already they’d find traces of fire and lightning, but she had seen footprints on the yard that were far too large to belong to either of the men she knew had been there.

Somebody else had gotten here before they did.

Likely someone related to Aizen.

 

 

 

 

The next time Ichigo woke up, the train was slowing down, and after a moment Grimmjow stirred too, and nearly shoved him off his lap as he peeked outside from the hole on the door.

”Yeah, we are almost there.”

”What is this place exactly?”

”Kagamino.”

Oh... that did not sound like the kind of city men like Grimmjow would go to.

It was one of those more prosperous towns with less crime in them than any place they had been in so far.

”Why here?”

”Cause the woman we are going ta see lives here now. After I let her go in Hueco Mundo some old lady took her in and helped her ta get a job here and eventually her own place.”

Ichigo frowns at that.

”What do you mean _’let her go?_ ”

Grimmjow remains quiet, just glancing at Ichigo.

”She won’t say no ta me. Not if she wants to live for the third time.”

Ichigo frowns at that and manages to get up, leaning against the door beside Grimmjow.

”I will not let you threaten her. Nor harm her for that matter.”

The man snorts and rolls his eyes.

”M’not gonna. It’s enough if she THINKS I will.”

Ichigo felt a shiver run down his spine as he saw that devilish smile, and he started to think this was a bad idea after all.

 

 

 

Menoly’s life had been okay after she’d left Hueco Mundo over a year ago. She now had an okay paying job at a nearby book-store, and her apartment wasn’t too bad. It was in a quieter part of the city too, more in her taste as crowds still made her nervous, making the girl feel like she was being watched. Normally she’d be at work at this time, but the owner had to close the shop for today due to an unfortunate mishap that had caused some water leakage in the shop.

It would not be fixed until tomorrow so the girl had a day off today.

As Menoly takes out her keys to open the door to her small home, a chill travelled down her spine, and the blond girl looks around warily, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Once she steps in and closes the door however, the reason behind her feeling became clear.

”Nice place.”

Menoly freezes in her tracks, heart beating so fast she feared it would leap out of her chest.

Jeagerjaquez.

 _Jeagerjaquez_ was standing in her kitchen, leaning against the counter with the usual lazy posture.

The girl contemplates on sprinting out of the door, but before she could, the man had already shifted closer, forcing her to back against the door.

”W-what do you want from me now? I thought you were done with me!”

”I was. But then I changed my mind.”

The man taunts, but doesn’t come any closer, keeping his hands in his pockets. Before she could voice anything else, another figure appears beside Grimmjow, tugging on his arm with a displeased frown.

Menoly blinks confused, recognizing the orange haired officer from back then. Why was he with Jeagerjaquez?

”Grimmjow, I told you to not threaten her!”

”I wasn’t.”

The man snorts and looks down at his companion dully.

”Well she is clearly taking it as a threat!” Ichigo scolds the man and pushes him back, before sighing and turning to look at Menoly with a deeply apologetic look in his eyes. She noted he was wearing very shabby clothing and shoes, and his hair was longer than last time.

The officer also seemed strangely skinny, like he had not eaten properly in ages.

”I’m so sorry; we needed a place to lay low for a short period, until Grimmjow can inform his boss safely about where to pick us up.”

”His boss? Is he working for the guard now?” Menoly asks confused, but an annoyed look from the blunet makes her shut up and press herself firmer against the door.

”Not...exactly. His boss is. I don’t actually know that much about the details right now.” Ichigo explains rubbing his head with a sigh, before placing his hands to his hips.

”I promise he’ll behave. It’s only just for a day or two, so we know what to do next.”

His promise was very sincere, but Menoly had seen in the past how the young officer had been unable to keep it. The only reason she’d survived was because Jeagerjaquez himself let her go.

”I got no interest in messing with ya, so calm the fuck down.” Grimmjow suddenly states irritated, picking his ear like he often did when bored with the discussion.

”Grimmjow, don’t be so rude.”

The blunet just stares at him for a moment, as if contemplating whenever he should reveal something to Ichigo, but then just shrugs, walking to the couch and slumping to it like he owned the place.

The ginger gazes at him disapprovingly after a moment, before turning back to Menoly with an apologetic smile.

”I’m so sorry about this.”

Menoly gazes between them for a moment, then sighs in defeat, walking to her kitchen.

She had no way of forcing Jeagerjaquez out of her house, and based on the vague description about the situation Kurosaki had given, it was serious. She did not want to have any part in it, given it likely related to Aizen. It was probably the best just to go with the flow for now instead of making a fuss about it.

Besides, as she glanced at the lightning elemental on her couch, she’d noted there was a distinct lack of blood-lust or the insanity coming from the man.

He was still no less terrifying by any means, but he seemed more in control of himself, which was probably because he no longer suffered from overload.

”I have to go to work early tomorrow morning, so if you two are still here, don’t make a scene or anything.”

She adds a _please,_ quickly at the end as the blue eyes glance at her, before turning away again.

 

 

 

Ichigo did not like the situation one bit; the young girl was clearly extremely tense around Grimmjow, indicating there was some seriously bad history between them. The worst part was Ichigo had a hunch he knew what it was, he just could not remember it.

The girl kept fidgeting in her kitchen, cleaning it and reorganizing things.

She clearly did not want to be anywhere near Grimmjow, but the same time was too afraid to let him out of her sight.

With a sigh Ichigo sits down beside Grimmjow, who’d closed his eyes, resting his head against the backrest of the couch briefly.

”So...how are we going to inform your boss about our location?”

Grimmjow just hums, opening his eyes slowly to gaze at the ceiling. “Don’t wanna.”

Ichigo frowns at that. “Why not?”

The man just grunts and shakes his head, clearly not on the mood to talk about this right now.

 

 

Ichigo sighs and leaves him with his thoughts for now, turning to look at Menoly. She was trying to cook something, but her hands were shaking so badly Ichigo worried she’d accidentally cut herself or something.

”I can help.” Ichigo offers, and after a moment of hesitation the girl nods, allowing Ichigo to aid her.

The house falls silent at that as the two works, while Grimmjow sat on the couch, either resting or thinking about his next move. It was hard to tell which honestly.

”Why are you with him?” Menoly asks quietly after a moment.

”I...apparently I have been missing for a while, and there are some people after me. Grimmjow is protecting me from them for now.” Ichigo explains, rubbing his head with an awkward smile.

It was not official by any means, Grimmjow had not explicitly stated that was what he was doing, but his actions spoke louder than words.

”I see...I guess it’s not too weird given how much you wanted to help him.”

Ichigo lifts eyebrow at that, and the woman seems puzzled by his confusion.

”Don’t you remember? You asked me back in Hueco Mundo how to find him when he was going crazy and attempting to slaughter everybody in Aizen’s manor.”

Ichigo just stares at her in shock.

After a moment of stunned silence, he shakes his head and frowns.

”Why did he do that?”

”....You really don’t remember?” The girl stares at him in shock as the orange haired male reveals quietly about suffering from amnesia. Her eyes turn sympathetic, and after a moment Menoly sighs, turning her attention back at the soup she was stirring.

”He wanted to take revenge on Aizen, for killing his mentor-slash-subordinate, and later his friends.”

There was a hint of guilt in her voice as she mentions the ’mentor-subordinate,’ and Ichigo suddenly had a feeling he knew why Grimmjow had gone after this girl in the past. Ichigo recalled the story Grimmjow had told him about the man who ran the orphanage, Shawlong. Likely the man she spoke of was the same person.

”....Did you have something to do with it?” He asks quietly, and Menoly remains silent, stirring the food with a regretful look.

”It was...stupid. Beyond stupid, from both of us. We just...Loly wanted to get back at him for how nasty Jeagerjaquez was towards her about her crush towards Aizen. Neither of us expected Aizen to...k-kill the old man.” She sniffs and rubs her eyes, biting her lip as she tried to get her breathing back under control.

”Shawlong was...nice. To majority of us younger ones, including me and Loly. If I’d known what would happen, I’d tried to stop her.”

She really sounded regretful, and Ichigo really wished to comfort the girl.

He had nothing to offer however, no words to make it better.

Again that name, Aizen.

Whoever that man was, he clearly ruined a lot of lives.

Ichigo could not remember who Loly was either, but it sounded like she might have been a friend of Menoly.

”Is that why Grimmjow tried to kill you in the past? At least…I am getting the vibe that is what he did.”

The girl tenses, and then nods faintly, biting her lip again.

”I still have nightmares about it. I never went to a psychiatrist however, because...I feel like I deserve it.”

Ichigo frowns, disagreeing with her notion. Arguing about it right now however did not seem like a good idea, so he remains quiet, helping her to finish the beef soup and get the plates out. He glances at Grimmjow again, who gets up after a moment and paces to them, hands in his pockets as usual.

Menoly tenses instantly, but he ignores her, looking at Ichigo with a frown.

”What?”

The man just shakes his head and slumps down to a chair, muttering something under his breath.

Again with the holding back information huh?

The table was silent as they ate, well mostly Ichigo and Menoly did, Grimmjow was sunken too deep into his thoughts to really care for eating.

”Come on; you need food too.”

Ichigo reminds him after a moment, but only gains a disinterested snort.

Something was clearly bothering him greatly right now. After few more moments of tense silence, Ichigo sighs and asks Menoly if she could give them some time alone. The girl nods hesitantly and gets up, putting her empty plate to the dishwasher, before walking to her bedroom and closing the door behind her.

”What gives?”

The blue eyes drift at him, and Ichigo was again slightly unnerved by the intense glare they held.

”Don’t like this. The fact those fuckers found us, it means we cannot really trust yer Guardmates.” Ichigo frowns at that; it did not sound good at all, if Grimmjow’s hunch was correct.

”Still though; I’m fairly sure your boss at least should know which ones out of them are trustworthy.”

Grimmjow leans closer, resting his crossed arms on the table as he glares at Ichigo with a deep frown.

”Harribel doesn’t know shit. Ya should be more concerned about this too, dumbass.”

”I am concerned; I just do not see a reason to get paranoid over it; it doesn’t really help the situation in any way.”

”Ya fucking should!” Grimmjow snaps at him, making Ichigo back away in his seat reflexively.

”Somehow, they managed to kidnap you without anyone noticing, an’ nobody saw head or hair from you for six months. I know how Aizen works; when shit like this happens, it means he’s got an insider there.”

”Calm down Grimmjow; it’s not…”

_”Calm down!?”_

The man spats at him, bits of electricity dancing around him now.

“I got no way of tellin’ who the rat is! If I just go an’ drop you off fer them and you go and disappear again...”

Grimmjow goes quiet abruptly and looks away with a frustrated snarl, rubbing his eyes like he was barely containing some sort of outburst. In fact, Ichigo could see his powers still spark around him lightly, burning the table surface a bit. Whatever he was thinking, the thought was making the man highly upset.

Rather, the prospect of Ichigo disappearing again seemed to bother him.

”.....It sounds like you’re worried for me.” It was more of a question to Ichigo himself than Grimmjow, but the man snorts and glares at him angrily regardless.

”If Aizen’s interested in you, it means you got somethin’ he wants, bad. I know for a FACT ya should not hand anything he needs over ta him, because it’s gonna screw everyone over eventually.” It was a reasonable explanation for his agitation, but Ichigo had a hunch it was a bit more personal than that, given how the man behaved towards him at times.

Ichigo doesn’t comment anything on that however, figuring it would be a bad idea to potentially trigger Grimmjow further.

 

 

In the end, he did not have to be the one to do so.

Later at night, Ichigo was startled awake by a loud noise of something breaking, and as he looks up from the couch, he finds Grimmjow glaring down at frightened Menoly, grasping her throat with an angry sneer on his face.

The source of the noise was a glass Menoly had dropped to the floor, which had shattered on impact.

”I dare ya say that again, bitch!” The man snarls at the girl, whose eyes were widened in fear.

Ichigo quickly rushes to them and manages to yank Grimmjow off her, stepping between them and demanding to know what was going on.

”Stay outta my business, Kurosaki!” Grimmjow snarls at him, eyes glinting dangerously.

”I cannot, you promised not to harm her if we came here!”

”If you think I’m gonna let her run her bitch mouth like that, you got another thing coming!” Grimmjow snarls at Ichigo, who began to feel the familiar spark of fear at his core.

Something had triggered Grimmjow’s temper, and his expression was reminiscent of what Ichigo had seen from the man when he’d been holding that blond guy against a wall, taunting him. It was an expression filled with blood and violence.

A scared whimper from behind him snapped Ichigo out of it, and he steels himself, glaring back at Grimmjow with a deep frown.

”Grimmjow, you need to calm down. Whatever she might have said, it’s not worth this.”

The man takes a step forward, clearly contemplating on just grabbing his head and smashing it against the nearest hard surface or something.

”That bitch ain’t got no right ta even state Shawlong’s name after what she did!” Grimmjow snarls at him lowly, the amount of sparks around him increasing.

The sense of threat felt familiar to Ichigo, but not from earlier times he’d seen Grimmjow attack people after him. This was...this feeling was from way before, from the memories lost. He could swear he tasted blood on his mouth, even though there was no injury on him.

Well, no new ones to be exact.

Ichigo keeps himself calm however; he could not afford his fear to take over, not this time when there was somebody he needed to protect.

”Past is past, you cannot change it. Killing her won’t make you feel better.”

Grimmjow’s lips twist into a near sadistic grin, and his eyes sharpened to what looked like the gaze of a madman. It tugged something at the back of Ichigo’s head, but did not quite clear out the haze in there.

”No, but it will fucking shut her up.”

Ichigo felt a chill travel down his spine as he heard that gleeful, utterly cold tone. It was different from what he had witnessed so far; every burst of anger before had been colored with something less sinister and vile. It also tugged on a memory in his brain again. He had seen this expression, heard this voice before. A madness that had always been boiling under the surface, the kind Grimmjow usually kept reigned in.

But now, he was clearly ready to let it loose, unable to hold it back any longer. Ichigo glances at the girl covering behind him, thinking quickly in his head. Grimmjow was clearly just one wrong word away from charging at them with his full force, and if that came to pass, not only would they destroy her house, but likely get the girl killed as well.

Perhaps even innocent bystanders would be injured, given the immense power the man held within him.

Ichigo chose his next words carefully.

”If you wanna blow off steam, take it on me, but do it outside. Innocent people do not need to get hurt because of this.”

For a moment Grimmjow just stares at him clearly baffled by his words. Then a manic, involuntary mad cackle escapes from his lips, and his entire body starts glowing blue, making Menoly whimper and slump to the floor, curling up into a corner and covering her head with her hands.

”You....this is EXACTLY why I cannot fuckin’ STAND you Kurosaki!”

The man near growls at his face, the intensity of his aura making Ichigo’s skin prickle unpleasantly, and the lights in the house began to flicker as well, until the nearest light-bulb burst, making the girl yelp in terror.

”Always playin’ the martyr, willing ta sacrifice yer ass for the weak, for the worthless, an’ for the wicked; all because yer too damn sensitive for yer own good!”

”Then take it out on me, all that anger! Don’t hurt someone who clearly cannot stand a chance against you!”

A hand grasps his throat suddenly, and the world turns quiet. The pressuring aura disappears as quickly as it had appeared, and for a moment it felt like the whole world was holding its breath, waiting to see what Grimmjow would do next.

”What makes you think you do?” He asks quietly, his voice having gone strangely blank.

Ichigo just looks at him defiantly, holding onto the arm grasping him. This also felt familiar, and Ichigo was 100 percent certain he had been in this situation before, even if he couldn’t remember it. The two just stare each other quietly, the silent moment stretching out between them for so long that Ichigo could hear his heartbeat pick up pace.

”stop pissing me off, Kurosaki.”

His voice was still quiet, and he lifts his gaze, the earlier bloodlust gone from his eyes, replaced by some sort of weariness. It was a strange sentence, strange because he was sure he’d heard the man say it before.

A moment later, he let’s go of Ichigo and grasps his jacket, walking out of the door without a word, slamming it closed behind him.

Ichigo lifts his hand to rub his neck; fairly certain it would have a red mark on it due to the immense grip from earlier.

After a moment, he turns to look at Menoly, who was still holding her head and shaking with tears in her eyes. With a sigh, Ichigo slumps to sit on the floor in front of her, waiting for the girl to calm down.

”.....What happened?” He asks gently once she sounds less like she was hyperventilating, and the girl looks up at him shakily.

”He was... pacing around really agitated and his power was sort of damaging my kitchen, so I... I tried to make him calm down.”

Ichigo lifts eyebrow at that; it sounded incredibly brave from her, given how badly terrified she was of Grimmjow.

”I told him that Shawlong likely would not want him be panicking like this, because h-he...he functions better when calm. That’s when he snapped at me.”

Ichigo sighs again and rubs his eyes, contemplating on what to do with the situation. One thing was for sure though; if Grimmjow could not put a cap on his temper towards the girl, they should not be staying here for long anymore.

”....Coming here was clearly a bad idea. I think it’s for the best if I go after him and convince him that we should call his boss and head elsewhere for now.”

Menoly nods slightly, clearly agreeing with his notion. She had nothing against the ginger officer, but she wanted Jeagerjaquez OUT of her house.

”I’ll go look for him. Once we come back I’ll borrow your phone and force him to call his boss if I have to.” Ichigo tells her firmly, and then gets up from the floor, turning to head out after the temperamental man.

Menoly scrambles up from the floor as well and watches after him for a moment, before grasping her phone. She could not risk having Jeagerjaquez come back and blow in her face again, perhaps even lethally.

With a deep sigh, she steels herself and calls a number.

 

 

 

It did not take too long to find Grimmjow; Ichigo could sense his agitated aura from yards away, and he felt sorry for whoever was crossing the nightly streets right now. They were likely unnerved by the unknown presence washing over the streets. Soon enough he caught a sight of the blue hair, currently marching his way towards the park, which was likely empty of people at this hour.

At least he wasn’t heading anywhere crowded like the clubs and bars open at late hours.

Once they were deep into the darkness of the park woods, Ichigo catches up to him and grasp the man’s wrist. Grimmjow stops on his tracks and turns to glare at Ichigo. The gaze was unnerving, but at least it was no longer malicious like in the house earlier.

”I don’t remember what happened between you and her, but it’s clearly for the best if we leave.” Ichigo states firmly, his brown eyes in a frown.

Grimmjow just growls at him and yanks his arm off Ichigo’s hold, before heading further into the park.

With a frustrated sigh, Ichigo hurries after him and grasps the arm again, only this time Grimmjow swings around and kicks him against the nearest tree. The impact took all the air out of Ichigo’s lungs, making him see stars. Before he could recollect himself, Grimmjow’s hand slams against the trunk above his head, practically pinning him between the tree and a very pissed off lightning elemental.

”Stop running yer mouth then, if you don’t know what’s going on.”

Grimmjow growls at him lowly, their faces just inches apart. He was clearly trying to restrain himself the best he could, given how tense his muscles were and how restless the aura surrounding him was.

”Menoly did tell me about her part in your caretaker’s death. She seems to regret her actions so I don’t think it’s fair of you to hold a grudge over it.”

For a brief second Grimmjow looked about ready to rip his throat open given the sneer on his face, but the man holds it in, chuckling bitterly instead.

”I don’t give a fuck if she feels sorry! That ain’t gonna bring ’im back!”

”Neither will hurting her! You need to think more rationally!”

”You think I don’t fucking know that?!”

”Well it surely seems so!”

The free hand now grasps his throat again, but Ichigo doesn’t falter, just grasps the arm and stares up at him determined.

”Why the hell are you so keen on defending her? She’s one of that lunatic’s former followers as much as I am. She doesn’t deserve yer sympathy!”

Ichigo lifts eyebrow at that.

”By that logic, neither do you.”

The grip around his throat tightens by a fraction, and Grimmjow lets out a slightly more manic laugh, before glaring at him viciously again.

” _Damn straight_ I don’t! But fer some reason ya keep insisting. You did back then too, and you STILL do it, and I can’t fucking stand it!”

Ichigo looks up at him a little surprised; it began to feel the man was honestly more angry at Ichigo rather than Menoly for whatever reason there was. Despite his unease, Ichigo keeps his gaze steady, trying to not mind the uncomfortable pressure against his neck.

Although...he did note that while it was unpleasant, Grimmjow was not actually cutting off his air, indicating he still held back somewhat.

”I did not bring ya to that orphanage for you to go throwing pity at me.”

Grimmjow snarls at him, leaning closer until Ichogo could feel his breath brush over his face.

”Sympathy and pity isn’t the same thing, Grimmjow.” Ichigo reminds him quietly, sensing that responding to his anger with equal fire would not get them anywhere.

”It is to me.” The man hisses into his ear, before letting go of Ichigo, making him actually stumble to the ground briefly.

The fiery haired male manages to pull himself up, dusting off his clothes. He then looks at Grimmjow with the same determined frown. The blunet just glares back at him, and for a moment they had this strange, silent stand-off. It almost felt like he still wanted to spat in his face or kick Ichigo, but for some reason chose not to do anything. The ginger sucks in a deep breath, steeling himself for his next words. In all likeness saying it once would not be enough to convince the man, but he was going to try damn it.

”We’re going back, and you WILL call your boss, asking where we should go for them to pick me up. And you will NOT do anything to Menoly, understood?”

Ichigo tells the man firmly, his tone having an authoritarian flare to it.

Grimmjow gazes at him quietly for a moment, then snorts, turning his gaze aside.

”Fine. M’sick and tired of this overly tidy city anyway.”

Ichigo blinks, utterly surprised about the man's response; he would have never expected him to give in so easily given how angry he seemed to be just seconds earlier.

Overall, ichigo had noted that Grimmjow's mood swifted really quickly, and he could not stop but wonder why. 

After a moment of stunned silence, Ichigo nods and gestures back towards the route they came from. "Then let's head back now."

 

Once the duo reaches the street Menoly lived in however, Grimmjow grabs his arm all of a sudden, dragging Ichigo to the nearest alleyway.

”What are you...?”

Grimmjow just nods towards the vehicle in front of the house.

”Looks like she called the cops already.”

”Well how is that a bad thing? Aren’t I one of them?”

Grimmjow shakes his head.

”The driver. I know ’em. These guys aren’t real Guardsmen.”

Ichigo’s eyes widen, and he peeks at the car, and at the person who had come out from the driver’s side and was currently heading inside, after two other men. He had a greyish blue hair and long, thin mustache.

”The fucker’s name is Patros; I bet Aizen sent him to this detail as a punishment.”

Grimmjow snorts, making Ichigo glance at him confused.

”He likes ta think he’s smarter than Aizen an’ often tries ta get others to rebel against the fucker. Only because he happens to share the same element with ’im.”

”....I probably used to know the answer to this already, but what is Aizen’s element?”

”He’s light elemental. Metahuman level which makes him slippery as fuck.”

Ichigo looks at him surprised, having not been excepting such an instantaneous reply to his question after the earlier anger Grimmjow had displayed. He really should ask about the mood-swings later, because honestly, it seemed to be a serious problem the man suffered from. Although, it was highly likely he would refuse to talk about it even if ichigo asked nicely.

”What should we do?”

”Ya dumb? We fuckin’ walk away. We got nothin’ in there we need.”

Ichigo frowns, not liking the prospect.

”But if these are Aizen’s men... she might be in trouble.”

Grimmjow looks down at him coldly, and Ichigo could guess the words that dropped out of his mouth before he voiced them.

”I don’t fucking care.”

A moment later, people burst out of the door, having two guys carry the struggling Menoly towards the car, while the thin mustached man followed them hands held behind his back.

”We need to do something!” Ichigo urges the blunet, who just looks down at him dully.

”She ain’t important. If we go out there, Aizen will get his hands on ya, which is clearly a bad idea.”

”Well if you don’t wanna do anything, it doesn’t mean I won’t!”

Ichigo snaps at him and before Grimmjow could stop him, Ichigo rushes out from hiding, catching the group’s attention. ”Hey! What are you guys doing with her?” The trio is stunned briefly, and then the mustached man - Patros wasn’t it - coughs and turns towards him, remaining calm.

”Pardon us young man; this woman is a wanted criminal and we are bringing her to the station.”

He pauses and frowns. ”By chance, do you happen to be Kurosaki Ichigo? I believe there has been a search going on for you.”

Ichigo glances at Melody, who shakes her head lightly, as if to indicate that no; these guys definitely weren’t from the Guard. It confirmed Grimmjow’s suspicion that there was likely a mule in the Guard, keeping an eye out for Ichigo’s resurfacing.

”I don’t remember seeing you guys in the guard.” Ichigo frowns and the redhead looks at his partners a little flustered, whereas his boss remains calm.

”We changed posts recently. This is truly a good coincidence, as now we not only can bring this criminal to justice; we can get you home safely as well.”

Ichigo considered his options. He had no clue what their powers were, so starting a fight could be disastrous.

Plus he still did not have much control over his flames, other than the basics.

”Given the circumstances, I’d rather first confirm with a person I do know for a fact is a guardsman that you were sent by them.”

After a brief moment of silence, the younger, red haired male groans frustrated, and suddenly a metal spike is thrown at Ichigo, who quickly jumps out of the way as it hits the ground, sinking deep into it at the spot he’d just stood on.

”Menis, what the hell are you doing!?” His bigger partner questions the spike head, who looks up at him irritated.

”This ain’t gonna work, let’s just catch this bastard!” He spats out, and then quickly creates several more metal spikes, throwing them at Ichigo.

He manages to dodge most, but one grazes his leg, making blood drip down from the wound. ”So it seems.” The mustached man sighs then glances at the big guy, who ditches Menoly to the ground, before planting his hand against the ground.

Moments later sharp pieces of wood rose through the ground, aiming at Ichigo.

He jumps out of the way surprised, but he could also feel a memory tug on his brain.

Element of forest? He was fairly certain he knew someone like this. Ichigo knew he had no choice now, so he summons a flame and throws it at the group, making them jump aside to avoid it. The fire blast was stronger than he expected, actually making their car roll over and crash against the ground upside down at the other side of the street. Ichigo was glad it had not gone any further, as otherwise it would have injured or perhaps even killed whoever lived in the opposing house. Soon the commotion caught people’s attention however, and curious onlookers began to appear nearby streets.

”Shit, boss, what should we do?” The redhead asks.

His superior remains calm as ever, addressing the crowd.

”Please evacuate the area; we are trying to detain a volatile and potentially dangerous elemental who was let loose in this city.” T

he group glances towards Ichigo with a mixed curiosity and fear now; the orange haired male curses in his head as right now, he could not dispute the bullshit claim in any way. He glances towards Menoly, who had sprinted away from the scene and hidden to an alley further away. She was safe for now, which meant Ichigo could try and flee the scene. Before he could however, the mustache man suddenly appeared in front of him, holding his palm up and flashing such a blinding light into his eyes that Ichigo stumbled back in pain, as his eyes burned from the brightness.

A second later, he could feel vines wrap around him and force him to the floor, as the forest elemental used his powers to restrain him.

Ichigo ignites his flames to burn trough them, but then much thicker, metallic bands seal him to the ground, and a second later, something was latched onto his wrists, negating his power.

Elemental proof cuffs.

Ichigo cursed under his breath, realizing he was in trouble.

What the hell was Grimmjow doing?

Why was he not coming out to help?

Ichigo is yanked off the ground then, and escorted towards the car his vision still blurry, while the mustache man kept telling his bullshit to the crowd. He is shoved into the back of the car, and Ichigo glances around from the window, but he could not see Grimmjow anywhere. Had the bastard really decided to abandon him just because of how pissy he got?

”Don’t move unless you wanna be zapped. Then again Szayel-san said you seem to enjoy it given your boyfriend.” The redhead tells him, holding the elemental neutralizer in his hand as he sits next to Ichigo at the back. The ginger frowns at the boyfriend comment, not understanding what the hell the man meant with that.

The weapon itself the man was holding was completely pointless given Ichigo's cuffs, so it was clearly used for threatening only right now. The car starts driving, and the fiery haired male felt panic raise up his throat; he was in deep trouble now.

He glances to the streets again, seeing Menoly watch them drive away with widened eyes.

There was no sign of Grimmjow anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well then  
> Some shit happens.   
> And a cliffhanger  
> Also, hooray for insignificant arrancars I could not even remember that could fill in the spots for the fake cops.  
> You have SOME use.


	4. Instability

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grimmjow goes for Ichigo's rescue, but cannot help himself from pulling some unnecessary bullshit. He also brings ichigo to a place that reveals more about why he is the way he is.  
> They are also being followed by someone.

Ichigo felt helpless; he’d gone right back into the hands of the people who’d likely kidnapped him in the first place.

His powers were negated and what’s worse, his memory had begun to return a bit, after seeing that negating device again and being mentioned a name, Szayel.

He could remember the pink haired bastard, the one who’d been conducting tests on him, and tortured him for fun at times by zapping him with the paralyzer for no particular reason. Now they were likely bringing him back to that mad scientist.

Ichigo’s hands shook and he could barely stop himself from hyperventilating.

Worst of all, Grimmjow had abandoned him.

Sure, the man had been really aggressive towards him, but... he’d promised he would not hurt Ichigo.

Well, letting others do it instead was a loophole for sure, Ichigo thought bitterly.

”Cheer up Kurosaki-kun. We have no intention on bringing you to Aizen-san.”

Ichigo looks up at Patros surprised, and the man looks at him through the rearview mirror.

”You’ll be more of use if we keep you as ourselves and have Aizen pay for the access for you.”

Ichigo felt his stomach twist unpleasantly; he was being talked about like he was some sort of object. He did not know how long they had driven, but looking outside it was slowly getting brighter, indicating the morning was coming.

“It sure was quite a lucky coincidence that Aizen-san asked me to infiltrate the Guard to search for clues about your whereabouts. I learned quite a few valuable things about you.”

Ichigo lifts eyebrow.

So this mustache man was the rat Grimmjow had been concerned about?

“You were the one who told those two about where Grimmjow and I were?”

The man hums, brushing his mustache slightly.

“That was before I realized just how valuable you could be exactly. I am thankful that Jeagerjaguez dealt with those two before they could take you back to Szayel-san.”

Ichigo felt a shudder travel down his spine at the mention of that name. He did not want to return back anywhere NEAR that freak, if his memory served him right.

”I still don’t get why he’s so important.”

The redhead joins in the conversation, examining Ichigo suspiciously, and the big guy on the other side of him also seemed baffled.

”It relates to the incident from the manor 18 months ago. Aizen-san seemed to witness something quite miraculous back then.”

”Like what?”

The mustached man hums again, turning from an intersection. Ichigo was honestly curious too now, but he kept his face blank, not wanting to show his cluelessness, let alone his fear.

”It is not of your concern Menis. I’ll handle this.”

The redhead seemed displeased about it but chose not to comment further, just sitting back and crossing his arms with a grumble. Ichigo was disappointed as well, but remained quiet. It was better to wait and see where the group was taking him before he could make his move. Trying to do something while they were driving was too dangerous, especially when his already kind of unpredictable power was hindered by the cuffs.

 

 

What felt like hours, they eventually arrive to some sort of old warehouse; Ichigo notices an old, worn out sign that indicated this place was once part of Hueco Mundo’s industrial area.

Wasn’t that the city that Menoly had said something had happened? Grimmjow had gone crazy or so….

They stop the car in front of one of the buildings; it seemed to be some sort of old shipping dock. He is roughly yanked out of the car and brought inside the place. Perhaps it once housed some sort of large ship to be built or repaired, but now most of it was empty, rusted space. They bring Ichigo to what used to be the offices and break room area, and the redhead basically shoves him inside one of the rooms.

It looked like a closet more than a room, and had likely housed work clothes or so given the smell.

”Make yourself comfortable Kurosaki-kun, while I go and make a call.” Patros comments, before the door is closed in his face, leaving Ichigo in near complete darkness, only light being the small bit that came through the crack below the door.

Based on the shadow, one of the guys stood guard in front of the door just in case. Ichigo releases a slow sigh and tries to calm down. His initial anxiety during the car-trip had subsided for now, which was a good thing as he needed to focus and not start panicking.

He still could not use his fire due to the cuffs on him, but he was not going to give up so easily.

Surely there _had to be_ other choices for him.

Ichigo waits quietly until his eyes adjust to the darkness and he gets up shakily, looking around in the cramped space. All three walls aside from the one with the door had shelves on them, mostly empty aside from some dusty, shabby work clothes here and there. At first it seemed like there was no way out of the room aside from the guarded door, but then Ichigo notices something that the men had likely overlooked.

At a lower corner, there was an air vent that was half-open.

If he could force it open further, he could perhaps get out of there. Except, crawling through the vent with his hands tied like this would be difficult. Ichigo looks around again, then notices a small object at the corner; an old nail.

Perhaps...

He picks it up and grabs one of the old coats, placing it in a bundle in front of him before he sits back down carefully. The nail was longer than most, probably used for something when repairing a ship or a boat. For his luck, it fits into the lock of his cuffs, and Ichigo attempts to unlock them. It takes him a couple of tries, but eventually they unlock and fall on to the pile of clothing, not making much noise as Ichigo had hoped. He listens for a moment to try and see if anybody heard it. The guard behind the door did not move however, indicating he had not noticed a thing. Ichigo walks cautiously to the vent and grasps the rusted metal partially covering the path. He plants his hand against the joint and focuses, until his hand was becoming warm.

It’s a little tricky at first, as he almost just scorches the wall instead, but slowly, Ichigo gets a hang of it and the metal beneath his touch melted, and eventually Ichigo was able to carefully place the vent door down beside him.

The route was narrow, but he was still fairly skinny due to not having eaten properly for a while.

He begins crawling through it cautiously, not really knowing where he was going to end up. At one point, the vent splits into two directions. He could hear a voice coming from the right, indicating it likely led to a room where one of them was, so Ichigo crawls ahead instead. It was getting really uncomfortable, and Ichigo could already feel his knees being sore for all the crawling, not to mention there was a cut on his hand as he’d accidentally touched a piece of sharp metal jutting out from the vent bottom. Eventually he comes to another vent door, and peeking through it, he saw the room there was empty.

He melts the doorway quickly and slips out, cracking his neck as it hurt slightly.

Ichigo looks around, noting he’d ended up into another small office space.

Ichigo sneaks to the door and cracks it open, gazing out. The door led to a corridor that would bring him back to the main hall on one end, where he likely would be caught. So, Ichigo heads to the opposite direction; the corridor turned to the left at the end, and seemed to continue ahead, making a circle back around the office spaces and returning to the big hall.

Just as he is about to turn another corner, Ichigo sees the redhead head that way and he quickly hides back behind the wall, considering what he should do. His fire was pretty strong, and it was fairly good against a metal and forest user, but the guy with light abilities was a problem.

Plus, they still had those elemental paralyzers on them Ichigo shuddered as he thought about it, his mind involuntarily going back to the pink haired man.

Ichigo bites his lip so hard that it started bleeding; he did not have time to start panicking right now, he had to focus.

Making his choice, Ichigo heads back the corridor, going back towards the large hall.

Once he reaches the large space, he ducks behind a pile of wooden crates to hide from the redhead who was apparently patrolling the place. The big guy still stood guard where he had been before, clearly having not noticed that Ichigo had escaped. The boss was nowhere to be seen, so Ichigo figured he was in one of the rooms at the backside, the area the redhead had come from.

”I don’t see why we gotta keep an eye out; Kurosaki was alone when we snatched him.”

”Don’t forget Menis, that Mallia had said in the call Jeagerjaquez was with him earlier.”

”Given that crazy bastard did not show up to help the carrots I doubt he’d do it now. He clearly doesn’t give a shit about cops; remember that one undercover one who tried taking his photo? There wasn’t even a tooth left for his family ta bury.”

Menis pauses and laughs a bit, although Ichigo noted there was a hint of unease in his voice.

A sign of fear. It seemed almost every person from Grimmjow’s past Ichigo met was afraid of him. Tesla, Menoly, and now this guy.

Why was it then, that HE felt comfortable around the man, to a degree?

Why was Grimmjow even _remotely_ decent towards him, when it seemed like he terrorized everyone else around him.

 

”That monster never gave a shit about anybody.”

Ichigo could not stop but frown at that comment as well; he happened to know it was not true. Grimmjow had clearly cared for his caretaker, Shawlong, based on how much he despised Menoly for causing his death, let alone how he’d acted in the orphanage.

”It makes me wonder though...” the taller man spoke, glancing towards the door where he thought Ichigo was still trapped behind.

”Why was he with Kurosaki? I did hear rumors he showed up in the manor before any other officers did, when Jeagerjaquez was going on a rampage, but I don’t see how this would lead into that maniac following Kurosaki around.”

”Beats me, though if you think about it, there were those rumors. Maybe the carrot-top was the one they were talking about.”

The redhead states with a shrug.

After a while, their leader appears, informing his two subordinates that Aizen was willing to send someone to negotiate with them. Ichigo had a feeling it would not end up well for these three, their leader especially felt overly arrogant in Ichigo’s eyes.

Based on all the things he’d heard of Aizen so far, these guys were likely underestimating him.

”So what we do now, wait?”

”Perhaps we should check on our guest first.”

Patros informs the two, gesturing towards the door. Ichigo realized that he’d been too caught up, listening to their conversation about Grimmjow, that his escape was about to be discovered.

However, before they could go and open the door, a heavy aura landed upon all of them, and aura Ichigo recognized.

The group looks towards the door, and then their gazes drift up as they see a figure standing on top of the bridge right above the doorway, hands in his pockets as usual. Ichigo felt a mixture of emotions run through his head as he saw the man; he was beyond happy to see Grimmjow had not abandoned him after all. He was also mad however, that he had not helped Ichigo sooner.

”Yo.”

Grimmjow smirks at them, his elemental aura sending goosebumps rise on Ichigo’s skin.

”Jeagerjaquez. What a pleasant surprise.”

The old man greets him, walking forward.

He seemed clearly less concerned than the other two, although once the blunet’s expression sharpens by a fraction and he drops down to the pier next to the waterway in the building, the man stops.

”I did hear rumors you were with Kurosaki-kun, but I must say I am surprised to see you came after him.”

Grimmjow paces closer, until he was just few meters away from the old man. His behavior reminded Ichigo of a relaxed feline that was measuring up its prey. His eyes also glance towards Ichigo’s direction a fraction of a second, his smirk widening lightly as well. He clearly knew where the ginger was, but did not give him out.

”Patros. Still tryin’ ta outsmart Aizen?”

”His own arrogance will be his downfall someday.”

Grimmjow snorts at that, and Ichigo could guess the reason for it; the man should probably take his own advice.

”I am actually glad you showed up, for I have thought of proposing a deal for you.”

”And what makes ya think I’d care takin’ it?” Grimmjow asks, cracking his neck with a disinterested look on his face.

”You want to take Aizen down as much as us. Being that woman’s runner doesn’t suit you however.”

”So bein’ yer bootlicker is better? Please, you ain’t even a metahuman elemental; none of ya weaklings could even sense I came here.”

Grimmjow tells him bluntly, gaining a chuckle from the man.

”If my theory about Aizen’s intentions with that officer are true, that may change soon.”

This caught Grimmjow’s interest clearly, and Ichigo found himself listening closely too now.

”Apparently what that man did to save you, it was a breakthrough on his research regarding on how to give an elemental control over multiple powers.”

Ichigo almost gasped out loud, almost.

His mind was still mostly hazy about all that elemental stuff, but what the mustached man was indicating had to be a big deal, especially given the slightly surprised expression Grimmjow had.

He turns his face neutral pretty quickly however, giving Patros an unimpressed look.

”I thought he stopped caring fer that shit after Oderschvank was near iced.”

”Yes, her unfortunate ’accident’ did set back Aizen-san’s plans a lot, but it seems they are back on track now.”

”And how the hell do you think you would be able ta use his research for yer own good? Last time I checked Szayel don’t work fer you, an’ I bet he’s the one with his filthy hands all over this.”

 

”Oh I have my own resources.”

Grimmjow remains quiet, and then starts pacing around like a predator stalking its prey, making the other two men nervous.

The short red-haired one especially seemed terrified. Ichigo honestly could not understand why the old man thought this plan was a good idea; getting Grimmjow to cooperate with anyone seemed to be a tall order, as when he did, he seemed extremely reluctant based on Ichigo's observations, such as when he made the man promise to not hurt Menoly.

”What’s in it for me?”

”Aizen is likely going to try and send his assassins after us. All you need to do is kill them. I am fairly certain you’ll enjoy a bit of bloodshed.”

A menacing grin flashed on Grimmjow’s face, before he went stoic again.

” _Again._ What’s in it, for me?”

The older male sighs and rubs his moustache for a moment.

”Well I suppose we do need someone to keep an eye on Kurosaki-kun so he will not escape.”

The old man’s smile turns almost devilish in an unpleasant manner.

”You have always been good at getting people do what you want. Either by seducing them, or intimidating them. I am fairly sure you’ve used both on Kurosaki-kun, and it seemed to have worked well given he has been following you around willingly.”

Ichigo felt unnerved by the implications of the old man’s words, and glances at Grimmjow to try and see his reaction. The blunet’s face remained stoic, giving Ichigo no clue whenever Patros’ claim was true or not.

Slowly, Grimmjow’s face twists into a menacing grin however, and his chuckle sounded so creepy that even Patros finally took a step back, growing slightly tense.

”Yeah yeah, throw ’im a bone and he’ll follow you around like a lovesick puppy, that what you mean?”

The old man just smirks lightly, clearly thinking Grimmjow was catching his drift and his reaction confirmed the man’s suspicion when it came to Kurosaki and him.

In truth, Grimmjow was on the verge to just strangling the bastard to death; he just did not show it.

The bastard was not wrong by any means.

He HAD done a lot of shit like that in the past.

Seduced some poor foolish chick that Aizen needed Intel from - or a young man, either way was fine - and left ’em with a bad case of trauma and attachment issues.

Sometimes they ended up dead, though not by his hands.

He was not proud of it, nor did he give excuses for his past actions.

No, what made him furious in this case was the mere fact this bastard had the gall to assume he’d do something like that to Kurosaki.

Doing the stuff he did back then... it had never been the same as those other cases. He’d had absolutely NOTHING to gain about it; he’d just done it, because.... he felt like it.

”So, do we have a deal? You can have Kurosaki when we have no use for him, and you can get back to Aizen much quicker than with the help of the Guard who have to abide by law.”

”Why are ya so keen on offerin’ his sorry ass ta me? You wanna watch or something?”

Grimmjow smirks at the old man, who seems a little taken aback by the bold comment.

Meanwhile, Ichigo’s face was fuming from the obvious innuendo, and he kinda wanted to walk out there and punch Grimmjow. Even moreso, if what the old man was implying was true and Grimmjow had in fact just been messing with him or something. As Ichigo looks up at Grimmjow again, he notices the man kept glancing at him, and Ichigo suddenly realized he was urging Ichigo to get out of there while the three were distracted.

Finally getting the message, Ichigo starts to sneak back towards the corridor behind him. Unfortunately, his leg hits something, an abandoned crowbar on the floor, making him stumble and create a loud noise. Instantly the group turns to look at him, and Grimmjow looked like he wanted to face palm, hard.

Yeah, Ichigo kind of agreed with that reaction right now.

”It’s Kurosaki! He escaped!” The redhead exclaims, instantly heading towards Ichigo.

”How? I stood by the door the whole time!” The big guy opens the door to find out the aftermath of Ichigo’s escape, the open and melted vent.

”Capture him quickly!”

The old man orders the two, who charge at Ichigo, blocking his path with plenty of metal rods and vines bursting from the ground. Ichigo knew that trying to melt them would take too long, so he turns to face the two. Before he can do anything however Grimmjow suddenly appears behind them, kicking the shorter man through a wall, and smashing the big guy’s head to the ground, before skidding to a halt in front of Ichigo straightening himself.

There was a wicked grin on his face now.

”I assume you are declining my offer.” Patros states dryly, clearly slightly displeased.

”I got no interest in serving a light elemental megalomaniac. Been there, done that.”

Grimmjow states with a shrug, summoning a sparkling sphere of lightning into his hand and throwing it at the old man. It goes through him, revealing that the man was just an illusion, which did not surprise Grimmjow, as he looks around.

”Oi, stop with the magic tricks Patros; if ya really think you can even hope ta deal with Aizen, you stop hiding like a coward!”

”I must agree on that notion.” Came the old man’s voice right behind Ichigo, and he grabs the young officer, holding an elemental paralyzer near his face. Grimmjow whips around and glares at him, no longer hiding his anger.

”However, being tactical does not mean one is weak. The fact you did follow us here shows me you seem to care for this young man, and do not assume I did not expect you to be reluctant at first. Perhaps you should reconsider the offernow, however.”

”Yer shit at threatening people. I know you won’t kill ’im.”

The old man smirks, then zaps Ichigo with the device, making his body convulse and his flames flicker in and out of existence. His body clearly wanted to fall to the floor, but Patros refused to let him do so.

”No, but how long exactly can you stand watching this? You did get rather upset when Aizen-san ended Shawlong's life.”

There was an angry twitch on Grimmjow's eyes at the mention of that incident, but before Grimmjow could react, the other two charged at him with their powers, forcing the man to crouch on the floor with his limbs weighed down and tied by metallic cuffs and thick branches.

The shorter one quickly moves closer to strike him with his device, thus rendering Grimmjow’s power useless for a moment.

”It confuses me, quite frankly. I always took you for a sadistic being, so the fact the thought of this officer being hurt...”

He zaps Ichigo again, this time with a bigger voltage, and the young man yelps; it felt like someone was sticking dozens of hot needles into his body. He had a feeling one would not normally be this sensitive to the paralyzer, but given how often Szayel had used it on him, he’d became weak against it.

”....seems to bother you, it is truly baffling.”

Grimmjow says nothing, just snarls at the man and tugs on his restraints. His power was already coming back due to the slight sparkles emitting from his body. The red haired man immediately moves to neutralize him again, and the blunet groans, glancing at him irritated.

”Ya really love that toy of yours, don’t cha?”

Menis backs away slightly, clearly unnerved by the glare aimed at him.

”Why, one should not be so foolish as to not be prepared when dealing with an elemental of your level. Our paralyzers were specially tuned by me to be extra effective against you.”

Grimmjow snorts at that, glaring at the man as he tugs on his restraints again.

”Sure, the weak always use dirty tricks ta try an’ scrape a pathetic win.”

”Again, it is not weak; it is called tactics.”

Patros yanks the device on Ichigo’s neck again, and he coughs out blood now. The man allows the orange haired male to slump to the floor in a heap, his breath wheezing.

”It seems they may be a bit too strong for him it seems.” The man observes amused.

”If ya keep zapping him, he’ll drop dead.” Grimmjow warns the man, though he still remained calm.

”Perhaps so, maybe we should come up with something else.”

The old man hums, grasping Ichigo by the hair and making him moan in pain.

”Surely breaking a finger or two won’t cause death.”

The man informs him casually, and Ichigo lets out a slight, scared whimper.

Grimmjow stares at the man for a moment, and then he suddenly starts laughing; a cold, manic laugh that clearly unnerved everyone around him. ”Go ahead. I fuckin’ dare you.” Patros looks at him surprised, and Ichigo’s eyes widen in shock. With a sigh, the old man grasps Ichigo’s finger firmly, and looks at Grimmjow questioningly. The man just remains still, a lazy grin on his lips.

With a swift motion, Patros yanks Ichigo’s finger, and the sharp pain he felt instantly made the young man yelp out loud, tears appearing in his eyes.

”My, you sure are cold blooded, are you?” Patros comments, then proceeds to break another finger.

His subordinates stare at Grimmjow clearly disturbed, when he did not react at all. Ichigo was panting hard now; it seemed that the zaps from the paralyzer had made every kind of pain more intense now, and his vision was turning blurry.

”Grimm...” he calls out to the blunet half pleading, half angry.

The man just gazes at him with a calm face. After the man breaks a third finger, he allows Ichigo to drop to the floor panting, clutching his mangled hand to his chest. ”I am surprised. I always knew you were cruel, but I would not have expected such dismissal towards your apparent fuck-toy.” Patros comments, still calmer than his subordinates. Ichigo stares at Grimmjow trough teary eyes, not understanding why the man had stopped resisting all of a sudden.

Was this punishment for pissing him off earlier?

”....Yeah, I suppose I would be a bit more annoyed, if you’d ACTUALLY done that.”

Suddenly, a large burst of blue energy escapes from Grimmjow, and it causes the vines and chains around him dissipate like they were mirages. Lightning sparked from him into all directions, breaking glass and charring strange patterns on the walls all around them. Somehow those sparks completely avoided Ichigo, as if he was covered by a protective layer.

The blast also sends all three men flying against the walls, all three of them leaving a red stain to the impact zone. The lightning makes their bodies convulse and twitch restlessly, their clothes charring, until the storm of electricity was finally over, allowing them to fall back to the ground in a heap.

”But I happen ta know a thing or two about mirages, even if I cannot produce them, dumbass.”

Grimmjow stands up and dusts himself off, turning to look down at Ichigo.

”Stop bein’ a baby, yer hand is fine.”

Ichigo brings his injured limb in front of him, and for his shock, his fingers... they were fine?

”What...?”

”Light user, remember? Skilled ones can create illusions so good that yer body thinks they are real. The pain was in yer head.” Grimmjow explains simply and offers his hand to tug the young man up. Ichigo stares at the hand for a moment, and then looks up at his face.

”So the shackling was...”

Grimmjow snorts and tugs him off the floor roughly.

”They tried tricking me to think that they had the upper hand as there’s no fucking way they could have dealt with me with their weak little tricks. Too bad for them my sixth sense is too good at telling illusions apart from reality.”

The man flashes a grin at him, and then is taken aback as Ichigo suddenly punches him in the face without warning.

Grimmjow stumbles back, holding his bleeding nose with a clear surprise coloring his expression.

”You fucking....I thought you abandoned me! And then you let those guys torture me like it was nothing!”

Grimmjow looks at him with lift eyebrow.

”They didn’t ACTUALLY zap you that hard. It was also part of the illusion. Patros made yer condition look worse than it was ta get under my skin, because the dumbass did not realize he's not as good with illusions as Aizen is.”

”I thought I was gonna die! What the fuck is wrong with you!? Why did you let them do that for so long?!”

”Like ta make my prey think they got the upper hand.” The man comments darkly, a sinister grin on his face now.

Ichigo just stares at the man, unable to decide if he wanted to smack him again, or attempt to strangle him, or scorch his smug face, or every other violent thing that could possibly come into mind. He was so pissed off right now that he was shaking; did Grimmjow not have ANY idea how the show he just put up had freaked Ichigo out?

Did he even bloody CARE what that had done to him mentally?

Perhaps what Patros had implied was true after all…

Grimmjow doesn’t seem to care about his anger, just turns to walk towards the mustached man, who’d managed to stay conscious. The man looks up at him and chuckles, coughing out blood.

”Still .....a cunning one, eh? I suppose I should...have known that you’d see through it.”

Grimmjow says nothing, just stares down at him with an unimpressed look.

”Ya drove yourself to a corner. Did you REALLY fuckin’ think this would work? That I’d save your pathetic ass from Aizen’s lackeys just because I despise him more? Yer delusional.”

With that, he kicks the man in the head, finally knocking him out, and spitting on the floor next to him.

As he turns to face Ichigo, the man notes the ginger was still pissy, curling and uncurling the fingers of his hand over and over as if to see whenever it was actually okay or not.

”Come on, we gotta get outta here. If that fucker really did call Aizen, his minions are going to be crawling all over the place pretty soon.”

Grimmjow states simply and nods towards the backdoor exit. Ichigo glares at him still angry, but follows the man out quickly, asking where they were going.

”Well we ain’t going back ta Kagamino that’s for sure.” The mention of that place brought something back into Ichigo’s mind instantly.

”Menoly...”

”Fucking SHUT UP about her already!” Grimmjow growls at him, but for once Ichigo did not let his temper scare him.

”She was having a relatively nice life, and now we might have ruined it for her.” He argues back, glaring up at Grimmjow without flinching despite the stare aimed at him.

”Her own fault fer getting on my bad side in the first place!”

Ichigo grabs his arm and stares him deep into the blue eyes with a deep frown.

”Are you really this utterly selfish?”

“Welcome back to the real world, Kurosaki.”

For a moment they both just stared at each other.

Then Grimmjow huffs frustrated and yanks his hand off Ichigo’s hold, walking ahead without a word. Having no choice, Ichigo follows him, shivering lightly as he still only had the clothes he’d worn when leaving Kagamino, which meant a long sleeved shirt, jeans, shabby shoes and no jacket.

After a while of walking across the abandoned industry area, they arrive to a gate that leads to a forest road. Grimmjow kicks the rusted gate in, before finally turning to look at Ichigo with an annoyed frown. Before the ginger could voice out anything, the man’s next words shut him up.

”Texted Harribel about it.”

Ichigo’s brain goes blank for a second.

”You messaged her, how?”

”Stole a phone while tracking you guys. I told her about the bitch and what happened, as well as warned her about the mule. Harribel can help her probably better than the damn guard, she got influence even if she’s not under Aizen’s wing anymore.”

Grimmjow explains reluctantly, like he hated the fact he’d actually done something likely helpful for the young girl.

Ichigo was a little taken aback by this.

It still did not make up for the bullshit Grimmjow pulled earlier.

”What did she say?”

”She’ll take care of it, and she also told me ta bring ya for a safer place for now.”

Ichigo was starting to grow tired of this place hopping, but he knew they likely had no choice; he was not eager on being caught by the bad guys again; they needed a secure place to regroup and think properly what to do. None of the previous places had given the two such luxuries, and Ichigo sincerely hoped the next one would.

”Do you have a place in mind?”

Grimmjow goes quiet and gazes ahead silently for moment.

His expression had gone stoic, as if he was hiding an emotion from Ichigo again.

”......I do. I hate going there but I bet Aizen doesn’t expect me to go there.”

Ichigo lifts eyebrow but doesn’t ask about it any further; they both were still worked up about earlier arguments, so there was no point in making it worse by asking questions Grimmjow did not want to answer right now.

”How are we going to get there?”

”We walk.”

Ichigo did not like the prospect of that.

”How far?”

”It’s about ten miles from here.”

Ichigo groans inwardly, he was not looking forward to this.

”Stop bitching; at least your legs are working now.” Grimmjow mutters annoyed, and Ichigo is left confused by the comment. It tickled something at the back of his head, but he could not connect it to a memory just yet.

The walk was silent, as they both had sunken in their thoughts.

Grimmjow was still radiating silent irritation and reluctance, clearly not liking the idea of going wherever they were going.

Ichigo was still rather upset as well, occasionally glancing at his hand.

What kind of twisted mind would let him go through that, even if he knew it was an illusion?

Sure he had seen several signs already that Grimmjow was not exactly the most stable person, but still...

He lifts his gaze to stare at the back of the blunet, familiar questions rising into his mind once again.

Why was Grimmjow doing this exactly? For taking down Aizen? What was one person in the grand scheme of things, and they had to be grand, given all the small tidbits Ichigo had learned about Aizen.

If Grimmjow was helping him for selfish reasons, what were they? Was this all really just so he could make sure Aizen did not get his hands on something ichigo had that he found useful? If so... it was hard to fully believe, given how personal this sometimes felt. Grimmjow did not have to go as far as he had. He could've just driven ichigo back to his friends or something, and left it at that. Instead, he had not wanted to bring Ichigo there because of the spy - which turned out to be Patros.

It felt a bit more like Grimmjow was protecting him from Aizen, rather than keeping Aizen's hands off him.

 

A comment from Patros pops up in his head then.

”What was all that innuendo about, back there?”

Grimmjow glances over his shoulder, but doesn’t turn to face him nor stop walking.

”Apparently there were rumors going around in the underground that I have a pet. Well to be exact, the rumor was that I was alive AND I had a new pet.”

Ichigo looks at him miffed, asking why was such rumor born.

”Beats me.” Grimmjow grunts clearly not on a talkative mood, then shifts to another path that led to a nearby road.

They were still apparently on the outskirts of Hueco Mundo, and based on the broken old houses he kept seeing here and there, this had to be some sort of abandoned part of the city. Ichigo turns his attention back at Grimmjow, not done asking about this topic.

He needed to know. He wanted to understand the strange sensations Grimmjow caused in him, let alone his conflicting behavior. If the man had been messing with him in the past, Ichigo wanted him to just admit it, instead of avoiding the topic and confusing him with the rapidly shifting attitude towards him.

”Was that part of the rumor true though? The ‘being alive’ part obviously is, but...”

Grimmjow stops finally and turns his head to look down on him for a moment. His expression was stoic again, and he examined Ichigo with his gaze silently for a moment.

”.....So yer asking if I fucked you?”

The ginger just stares at him, swallowing down his shock over the bluntness of the reply for now.

”Thrice.”

Ichigo’s eyes widen, and for a moment he thought the man was jesting.

His blank, serious expression proves however, that he was telling the truth.

So there was a level of intimacy to their relationship?

What did that mean exactly?

Ichigo takes a moment to process that answer, and during that time Grimmjow had already walked ahead, not wanting to explain his words any further right now. Ichigo shakes his head with a frown and follows the man, trying to slow down his train of thought.

No, just because he’d apparently slept with him, it did NOT mean that there was something there.

People had sex without emotional connections.

He just... Ichigo did not see himself as somebody who’d be into that in particular. Grimmjow perhaps, but not him. The ginger dares one more question as he reaches the blunet finally.

”Why did you do it?”

Grimmjow keeps his gaze firmly ahead, his muscles tensing again.

It was clear he did not like talking about this topic. Was it because he had indeed been just messing with Ichigo, and that was why he wanted to keep quiet about this. The thought made his stomach twist unpleasantly, and Ichigo bites his lip, looking up at the man again cautiously.

”Did you....”

Grimmjow stops on his tracks, his glare intense and almost...offended now.

”Fuck. No. Just ’cause I got a mean face an’ tendency ta be an asshole, don’t pin EVERY GODDAMN crime on me. I got standards.”

Ichigo backs away a little, for a second thinking the man wanted to smack him. He doesn’t however; just marches further ahead, his mood gone extremely sour again.

The young man was honestly glad about that answer.

What it meant now however, was that he was still confused as all hell.

 

 

 

 

 

Harribel had been visiting a patient in the Seireitei hospital when the message came.

The number was unknown but she recognized the writing style instantly even if the message wasn’t signed.

_”Kagamino. Kurosaki got kidnapped, we left Mallia behind there so she might need yer help a lil. Aizen now knows where she is. There’s a mule in the Guard, be careful who you talk to.”_

She had been surprised to hear all this, but eventually she replied.

_”Go get him and bring him to safety for now. I see what I can do. Contact me later.”_

The man did not respond back, but he did not have to for she knew he’d likely see n it anyway.

For all she knew, Grimmjow had already rescued Ichigo by the time he saw the message.

With a sigh the blond woman turns to look at the pale green haired girl sleeping on the bed.

”I wonder what you would think about all this Nelliel. You always saw him as a bit of a little brother to you, even if he did not like you much.” Tia comments softly, brushing a lock of hair away from the girl’s face.

She still had not shown any signs of waking up, but Harribel never gave up hope.

The fact Grimmjow had survived his ordeal back then gave Harribel more faith that Nelliel would wake up someday.

Still, she was mildly concerned right now.

Jeagerjaquez had been highly agitated for the past months, and given his history with Ichigo Kurosaki, Harribel had a feeling the man was likely struggling with himself badly right now.

”It’s an unfortunate existence, to live in such a state that you cannot even control your own, impulsive feelings.”

She mutters out, turning a page in the book she’d been reading.

 

 

 

 

The place they ended up in was one of those abandoned buildings.

Except, this one was much bigger and more grand than the rest Ichigo had seen on the way.

The house sitting on top of a hill, surrounded by forest with one now grass covered road leading to it, was a mansion.

Ichigo was taken aback once it came to view. The place was run down and decaying, but it had clearly belonged to a rich family once.

”Whose estate is this?”

Grimmjow remains quiet, just kicks the rusted gate open and heads towards the door. His muscles were tense again, and Ichigo wondered why exactly he seemed so put off by this villa.

”It used ta belong to this one rich guy who had a lot of dealings underground. He was a huge dickhead; even ready ta sell his son for experiments just because he wasn’t up to his standards.”

Grimmjow mutters out almost venomously, making Ichigo look at him utterly confused.

The place was about equally fancy and decayed the same time on the inside. What used to be marble floors and white walls were now full of stains and green moss growing here and there, wallpaper crumbling off the walls in some rooms. Grimmjow says nothing, he doesn’t even bother looking around as he heads upstairs, clearly knowing where he was going.

After a moment of just taking in the place Ichigo follows him, careful on the cracked steps. As he walks across the hallway towards the room Grimmjow had gone in, Ichigo notes there were old paintings on the walls.

Most were typical oil paintings of sceneries and so, but he soon spots a picture of a portrait. It was of a stern looking man with blond hair and sharp eyes. His hair was sleeked back in a more formal fashion, matching the suit he wore.

The longer Ichigo stared at the picture, the more it began to make him think, that the man reminded Grimmjow a tiny bit.

As he walks forward, he spots another painting at the end of the hall. It was a family picture with the previous man, alongside a woman and a small child in her arms. Ichigo immediately decided that he liked the woman better. She had a kinder face to her.

She was also blond, but her skin tone was paler than her husband’s, and as Ichigo gazed at the small boy....

”No way... is that...”

Ichigo reaches a hand out to touch the kid in the picture, but stops himself before he could, worried he’d just chip the old piece of art.

As he examined the child more closely, he could not stop but think it was Grimmjow. While his eyes were wider and not even as intensely blue as they were now, there was something similar about his facial features.

The hair was a mystery however, as in the portrait it was blond and not blue.

”He did not want people ta know my true color as it gives out the fact I got elemental powers, so he forced mum to dye it.”

Ichigo almost jumps as a familiar voice suddenly appears behind him, and he turns to look at Grimmjow wide eyed. The man stared up at the painting, barely containing the disdain he felt as he looked at the father in the portrait. So the blue hair was because of his element? ichigo brushes his intense locks, wondering if the same was true for him as well.

”....Is this...your house?”

Ichigo asks with widened eyes, and the man nods after a moment, shifting his gaze away from the painting and back at Ichigo.

”Was. Before everything went to shit. I did not actually miss this place.”

Ichigo had about a million questions now, but he held it in, not really feeling comfortable asking about something that personal from the man when he barely remembered his own family right now.

By barely, Ichigo meant not at all.

”Left years ago. Given the shit that happened here nobody wanted ta buy it after they died, so it was left to rot.”

Grimmjow explains, clearly still reluctant to talk about this topic, and then nods towards the room he’d been in, clearly not wanting to spend any more time nearby the portrait. Ichigo follows him to what clearly used to be some sort of library.

There were still some books left here and there, as well as the large couch and an armchair where you could read in. There was also a work desk near the window, with a broken chair behind it. The mattress beneath their feet was dusty and had holes here and there. Perhaps it used to be red at one point but now it looked more murky brown.

”This room’s still the sturdiest so we might as well spend the night here.”

Grimmjow mutters out, clearly on the edge. He had not wanted to come here ever again, but it had been the nearest sensible spot he could think of, that people would not look into as a first thing on their search list. Nobody came around here, thinking that the place was haunted or some shit.

”On the floor?”

”No dumbass. There’s a bed on the next room, ya can drag the mattress here from it.”

Grimmjow snaps at him, though it lacked the usual bite, something Ichigo noted as he lifted eyebrow at his tone. He did not have the energy to keep being pissy at Kurosaki over some stupid bullshit, especially when honestly Kurosaki was the one with the right to be mad right now given what he'd done earlier.

Still though, he could not stop being on a sour mood in general, as being here made him feel like he was being watched by his shitstain of a dad from the underworld.

He flipped a mental finger at the old man, before marching through the door to the bed room and single handedly dragging the old, broken mattress there.

Ichigo glanced at the thing a bit uneasily, given it looked worn and stained, but he knew he did not really have the right to complain.

”I doubt there’s any food here.” Ichigo comments, gaining an annoyed huff from Grimmjow.

”I can go snatch some shit from nearby. This place is on the outskirts of Hueco Mundo an’ there’s a store nearby.”

Wait, snatch?

Grimmjow looks at him, his expression turning amused briefly.

”What? You thought I PAID about the food in the cabin? Hell naw.”

Ichigo almost wanted to complain.

But then he just came to the conclusion it wasn’t worth it.

All of his anger earlier had been useless, for Grimmjow did not apologize at all for what he did, and likely never would, even if he knew he'd gone too far with his little game.

”Be careful, and don’t hurt any bystanders.” He just sighs at the man, who rolls his eyes, before heading out.

”Ya stay put.” He orders Ichigo, who shakes his head with another sigh.

 

 

After Grimmjow had returned with some food and a cleaner blanket as well as spare clothes for Ichigo, most of that day went by with Ichigo either exploring the mansion - Grimmjow was apparently fine with it, he just refused to answer any questions - or using the supplies in the worn down library to write down his knowledge again.

He now had a clue on what Aizen wanted from him, it related to something that had happened between him and Grimmjow a while back.

He’d considered on asking the man what exactly happened, but given how grumpy Grimmjow was at the moment, Ichigo thought better of it and chose not to try and talk to him right now.

It was a little frustrating given he also still wanted to know the answer to the question he’d asked on the way here.

Grimmjow just did not seem too keen on answering it.

Ichigo glanced at the door, knowing Grimmjow had gone out there to explore the place or so.

While he seemed to hate being there, the man clearly could not help his curiosity, wanting to see just how badly the place had been run down from when he’d been there last time. Ichigo sighs and closes the notebook he’d snatched, considering on going for another exploration walk as well.

He had already found more photos about the family, and had come to the conclusion that like he’d initially thought, Grimmjow’s mother seemed to be the loving one, always happy and smiling in the photos with the young child, whereas the father was almost completely absent from those.

He wanted to know more, honestly, but he also had his own memories to sort out, so he felt kind of bad urging about Grimmjow’s personal business when he barely had a clue of his own.

As Ichigo glanced to the window, he notes the sun was setting now, and shadows were growing longer and slightly creepy both outside and inside. It would be really dark in here without any light. Ichigo glances towards the fireplace at one wall, and he comes up with an idea. There were a lot of old, unreadable books around as well as papers, so Ichigo walks there with some and focuses, managing to light them on fire.

Soon enough the room was illuminated by the warm glow from the fireplace and it made Ichigo smile.

In fact, it did more than just that.

A flashing image appears on his head.

Two girls, cuddled up next to him in front of a fireplace, cups of warm cocoa in hand.

Ichigo’s eyes widen as he realizes that it was a memory. Those two girls...they were...his sisters!

More images about them pop in his head, and after a moment, he even remembers their names.

”Yuzu, Karin...how on earth did I forget you two?!”

Ichigo comments with a slight laugh that soon turns into a sad smile as he gazes at the fire. Now that he remembered them, he felt melancholic and lonely, sitting in the middle of nowhere, hiding sway from a bunch of bad guys.

”What’s so funny?”

Ichigo jumps and turns to look at Grimmjow who walked to him, hands in his pockets. He seemed calmer now, but Ichigo could tell from his eyes there was still a storm brewing in them.

”I remembered my sisters, that’s all.”

”Oh yeah, forgot ya had two noisy lil shits clinging to ya.”

Grimmjow grunts as he slumps down to sit beside Ichigo. His words were harsh, but his tone was just exhausted.

Perhaps he’d drained all the energy he had left to be pissed off for today.

If Ichigo was honest, he was also tired of being mad at Grimmjow.

It was pointless clearly, as the man would not care if he was or not.

”They must be really worried. Yuzu is probably crying her eyes out right now...”

”She did seem like a crybaby.”

”You’ve...met my family?”

Ichigo wasn’t sure how he felt about that or what it meant. Grimmjow shakes his head, averting his gaze.

It was clear they were inching towards another topic he was not fond of talking about.

Or perhaps it related to his reluctance about give more insight on just what the hell they were.

”Saw ’em once when I was...visiting. I stayed hidden given ya asked me to.”

Ichigo just nods solely after a moment. It was clear Grimmjow was leaving a part of the story out, but he looked too tired so Ichigo figured it was for the best not to bother him with further questions for now.

They both had been too worked up for so many hours by now.

"......Alright. Fine. I'm sorry for that bullshit earlier." Grimmjow suddenly huffs out, making Ichigo look at the man surprised. Grimmjow refuses to look at him directly, staring into the flickering flames in front of them.

"I just...I have urges I can't always help with. Seeing Patros walk around acting all high and mighty and thinking he could outsmart or trick me into getting on his side...I wanted ta show him how foolish of a idea that was."

"...So you let him torture me with visions just so that once you revealed you knew, it would bruise his ego or something? Grimmjow you probably killed them as a result from your actions, it was pointless!" Ichigo points out with a deep frown, and the man rubs his eyes with an irritated sigh.

"I know! I'm not...the most rational person. Never was."

Ichigo huffs and shakes his head, informing the man he'd noticed that. His anger over earlier was subsiding however, as he could tell Grimmjow meant his apology, even if it had been hard for him to say it out loud. 

The two sit in front of the fireplace quietly for a while, until Ichigo begins to feel drowsy.

Almost subconsciously, his body leans towards Grimmjow, and for his light surprise the man doesn’t object to it, allowing the ginger to rest his head on his shoulder eventually.

”Wish I could remember more. My parents, my friends, it’s mostly blank still.”

Ichigo sighs quietly, which is quickly followed with a yawn.

”Suck fer you. Wish I could fuckin’ forget ’em.”

Grimmjow mutters quietly, glaring at the flames on the fireplace slowly dimming out, as Ichigo began to get sleepy. Grimmjow’s hand had creeped subconsciously to cover the one that Ichigo had thought the fingers were broken from.

Ichigo did not object to the touch either, yawning again as his fingers mingled with Grimmjow's. it was a reflexive gesture, done out of muscle memory in all likeness, as by logic and all Ichigo knew so far, it made no logical sense for him to be so okay about Grimmjow's touch.

Kurosaki also forgave way too easily; the man could tell the slight irritated air aimed at him from the younger male had dissipated once he'd apologized. It made the man want to smack him for his naïve stupidity, but he did nothing of the sort, knowing there was no point to it.

It did not take long for Ichigo to drift off, for it had been a tiring day and night.

 

 

 

_He was being dragged across the hallway._

_His captors were taking him somewhere._

_A door opens, and he realizes he was outdoors now._

_The men holding him were bringing him towards a car. No, he did not want to go into another place to be prodded at._

_He could not even remember why he was there anymore; he just wanted to get away._

_Get away from the pain, from the eyes staring down at him like he was a science experiment._

_He struggles against the hold on him, gaining a sharp hit to his head that made his vision blurry._

_Another hand reaches around his neck to immobilize him, so he bites it as hard as he could, until the attacker backs away with a yelp, bleeding from his hand._

_His hands were tied behind his back, but his legs were free._

_He began to run, heading towards the small door at the fence further away. He did not make it too far as he trips, and moments later he was subdued again. Something was held in front of his face._

_A sedative, they were attempting to put him to sleep again._

_He struggles against the drowsiness, but eventually his vision turns black again._

 

 

 

 

Ichigo wakes up abruptly, sitting up on the bed.

He was breathing harshly and his heart was racing in his chest.

After a moment of just taking in deep breaths, he manages to calm himself down, and rubs his eyes with a sigh.

Another flashback, only this time he remembered it clearly.

He’d...they wanted to bring him elsewhere, and he’d tried to escape at that moment.

Ichigo was fairly sure this may have been more recent memory, as he had a hunch that had happened only a while before he fled.

Plus, he could recall already having memory problems at that point.

Ichigo looks around, noting he was sitting on the mattress now, likely being put there by Grimmjow after he fell asleep. Talking about the man, he was nowhere to be seen. A sudden noise from somewhere within the manor makes Ichigo jump, and his heart starts beating faster again. He pushes himself up cautiously and heads towards the sound. He soon finds the source of it; the painting about the mansion’s former head was on the floor, torn and ripped to pieces, even the frame destroyed and burned.

Glancing towards the other painting, Ichigo notes Grimmjow had ripped his father’s face off from it too, and the aforementioned man was currently staring at the heap in front of him, panting harshly as his entire body shook.

He was radiating energy again, blue sparkles dancing around him.

”Grimmjow?”

Ichigo asks cautiously, noting that the look in the man’s eyes was highly unstable.

In fact...it tugged a memory in Ichigo’s head. He had seen that look before in the past, that amount of near uncontrollable fury and desire to kill something.

In fact... that gaze had been aimed at _him_ at some point.

This realization made Ichigo back away as slight fear crept up his spine again, but it was too late, as the blue eyes snap at him, and Grimmjow’s face turns into a maddening grin.

” _He kept starin’ at me. Couldn’t stand it._ ”

Grimmjow's voice was cracking, almost like he wanted to start laughing.

Ichigo swallows down hard, backing away slowly.

The man remains quiet for a brief moment, but eventually he turns away from the broken painting, stalking towards the ginger slowly, making Ichigo feel like a deer caught in headlights again.

Grimmjow’s face had gone blank again, but his gaze was locked on Ichigo now, and it was freaky as hell, as Ichigo could not tell what he was thinking, or what he was up to.

The young man keeps backing away, until his back hits the wall.

As he turns his wide eyed gaze back up at Grimmjow, another feeling of deja vu hit him. This had happened before too. Grimmjow cornering him to a wall like this, with an aura of threat lingering around him. A hand reaches for him, planting itself above Ichigo’s head, trapping him between Grimmjow and the wall.

Brown eyes look up at the man, slight fear flickering in them now.

Grimmjow lifts his other hand, and it creeps up, settling against his neck.

It did not squeeze or send a jolt of lightning travel down Ichigo’s spine, but the gesture was unnerving.

Namely because Ichigo could remember now; Grimmjow had done this to him before, as a _threat_.

The man examines his face, a slight sinister glint appearing in his eyes as he spots the fear in Ichigo’s eyes.

The young man gasps as Grimmjow suddenly leans closer, flicking his tongue against Ichigo’s ear, before nipping it lightly with his teeth. It did cause an electrifying shock travel down Ichigo’s body, but for a whole different reason.

He also noted now, that Grimmjow was so close to him, his breath smelt like alcohol.

The smell was so strong it made Ichigo’s head spin lightly.

Grimmjow had clearly drunk a lot while he was asleep for some reason, and the alcohol was clearly affecting his behavior right now.

”You piss me off so much.”

Grimmjow whispers into his ear, though his tone did not sound angry.

Unstable yes, but not angry.

It again felt like the man wanted to start snickering like a madman.

”Your sorry ass has caused me so many headaches, that if it was ANYBODY else, I woulda have fuckin’ killed them already.”

Ichigo remains quiet, feeling his mouth go dry with unease. His muscles were tense, and he almost held his breath.

”First ya force me ta abandon my damn place ’cause of your stupidity...”

Grimmjow nips his ear again, this time harder, making Ichigo flinch lightly. He brings his arm up to try and pry the hand off his throat, but Grimmjow just pushes him further against the wall, now near growling at him.

”Then ya keep preaching ta me about that damn bitch, when you don’t even remember WHY I hate her guts.”

Now his teeth raked against Ichigo’s throat, and the ginger bites his lip to not whimper out loud; it was like his body was expecting things to get bad soon.

”On top of that, ya sprint off ta help her sorry ass, only to get yours caught.”

Grimmjow’s teeth bite into his skin now, and Ichigo cannot prevent the shaky whimper from escaping his lips now.

Perhaps any other time he could have pushed the man off, but his mind was still reeling from his dream, and the fact this all felt like an unnerving deja vu did not help either.

”You even went and punched me for saving your ass.”

Finally, a slight uneven chuckle escapes from the man, and the hand on his throat slips away, grabbing Ichigo’s hair instead and yanking his head back.

”....That was deserved.” Ichigo manages to mutter out, his voice still slightly shaky despite his best efforts at masking it.

Grimmjow lets out a slow chuckle, again sounding lightly unstable. It was clear that being in this place and drinking was not a good combination for the man. Ichigo gasps lightly, feeling the sharp teeth press against his throat. The grip on his hair tightened, alongside the pressure against his skin, and Ichigo cannot stop himself from letting out another distressed noise.

However, a second later the unpleasant sharpness against his neck is replaced by something much softer; Ichigo felt the man press an open mouthed kiss at the spot he’d sank his teeth into.

The grip on his hair also loosens, and instead the man just mingles his fingers into the orange locks, playing with them a little.

”Grimm...?” Ichigo whispers out quietly confused about the sudden shift in the man’s aura.

The earlier sinister sensation was gone, replaced by something else.

The blunet trails his lips up Ichigo’s neck, pressing soft kisses against his skin.

As he finally reaches the ginger’s ear, the man speaks again.

”Yet I still wanna fuck you.”

Ichigo felt his heart skip a beat, as well as his face gain color.

It had gone pale, but now it was glowing red.

What surprised him the most was not the crude way Grimmjow said it. It was the soft tone underneath, much more affectionate than what the choice of words indicated. The fact the man nuzzled against his neck lightly in a gentler manner also further drove home the point, that his crude words held more meaning to them than what you saw at first glance.

Ichigo lifts his hand cautiously again, but before he could touch Grimmjow with it, the man backs away and walks back to the library, pacing to the couch and slumping on it with his back turned to the room.

After a moment Ichigo enters as well, rubbing his neck that still had those bite marks from the man.

He just gazes at Grimmjow, who had clearly blacked out already given his even breath.

Glancing aside, Ichigo notes the two empty bottles of sake, a whiskey, and few other empty liquor cans beside the couch leg.

If the man had downed all of them by himself... it was no wonder he was acting erratic, he had to be badly drunk.

Ichigo felt anxiety tug his gut again, but for a different reason.

”Why are you drinking so much?” He mutters out, not knowing why this bothered him so much.

A subconscious part of him just felt uneasy about the idea that Grimmjow was drinking, let alone the amount he'd consumed; any normal human could have perhaps died from the amount of alcohol Grimmjow had apparently taken. Ichigo figured being his type of elemental caused him to have a better alcohol tolerance or something.

His hand brushes against the bite marks again unconsciously.

After watching the man sleep for a few more moments, Ichigo sighs and walks back to the mattress, figuring this was something he’d have to deal with tomorrow. He hoped to whatever gods that Grimmjow would be calm enough to process his drunken behavior, instead of dismissing it with anger again, because Ichigo NEEDED to know what that was all about.

He needed to know what EVERYTHING was, because not knowing just what exactly Grimmjow wanted from him drove Ichigo crazy.

 

 

 

 

The man walked around the warehouse, examining the destruction caused by Grimmjow’s outburst earlier.

Following his tracks was not easy; after they’d left the safe-house the man had initially brought the fire elemental in according to the blond woman.

However…Grimmjow had a bad habit of leaving a trail of destruction behind him.

After losing track briefly in Menos, he’d soon heard about a commotion in Kagamino about a day later. Once he’d arrived there, the blunet had been gone already, but it did not matter. He could track his intense aura almost anywhere once he caught a whiff of it, to put it crudely.

The green eyes shift up slowly, noting the stain of blood on the wall nearby, and the drag-marks that led to the floor.

The body was gone however. Someone had been here already to clean up the mess, which did not surprise him. He walks back outside, noting the sun was setting and coloring the sky into a deep red color, like shy was made out of blood.

It was fitting, given the path of carnage he’d been following so far.

“You never learn, do you, Grimmjow?”

The raven haired male sighs, brushing through his hair as his senses pick up the trace of an electrified aura going through the industrial area.

“I certainly hope he’s managed to make a change on you, as I’d rather not kill you.”

The man mutters, watching the sun set until he was bathed in shadows.

Moments later, he was gone, merged with the blackness around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew. chapter four.  
> I re-wrote this three times as I tried to decide the direction where to take this. I blame myself for not planning far ahead enough, that this is being a tricky story to manage.  
> Trying to keep in mind how much Ichigo recalls exactly is a pain, and how much can his subconsciousness help with his reactions towards Grimmjow.  
> So what did we learn about this?  
> ALWAYS plan ahead when writing a more complex story. otherwise things get tricky. At least for me.


	5. Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grimmjow and Ichigo are found.  
> They also get a little help from a surprising source.

His head hurt like a bitch as the blunet woke up, and he rubs his eyes with a groan; yeah, it had been a bad idea to drink so much after all.

He rolls on his back and turns his head slowly towards Kurosaki, who was still asleep, facing him.

As he examines the ginger, Grimmjow suddenly notes there was a strange mark on his neck. Almost like someone had....

He sits up abruptly, as his memories from last night’s outburst come back into his mind.

The man rubs his eyes with a soft curse, glancing at Kurosaki again.

He had not.... intended to do anything like that to the ginger.

Hell, his plan when drinking so much was to pass out for the night so he did not have to deal with all the stress he felt boiling up inside him right now.

He’d wanted to forget where he was, if just for a brief moment, as well.

Instead, he’d gone batshit crazy with his inner bullshit, trashing his father’s portraits, and freaking Kurosaki out afterwards with his borderline threatening behavior. In a way, Grimmjow knew he should have guessed that would happen.

Him and alcohol, especially when worked up... it tended to end bad.

It was not fully his fault, nor was the mood swings; it was...a quirk of his kind, being a lightning type. Shawlong had once told him, that majority of lightning elementals tended to have problems with their emotional stability, due to all the extra feed their brains got from their own power. But Kurosaki did not know any that, so his behavior made Grimmjow look like a borderline lunatic for him.

Especially during moments like what happened last night.

Sure, he _was_ kind of crazy, but wanted to think he wasn’t THAT bad.

Examining the sleeping figure, the man was just glad he hadn’t bit hard enough to spill blood, as that could have escalated the situation for the worse faster than Grimmjow could teleport with his abilities.

His blue eyes drift back to Kurosaki again as the ginger shifts in his sleep, turning his head away and making the marks on his neck even more visible now. It was not the first time he had those marks on him, but back then Kurosaki had known to expect it. In his current memory-lacking state, such aggressive behavior had to be freaky.

Grimmjow hated it, when he could not control his impulses, because that’s what it had been; seeing the flicker of fear in Kurosaki’s eyes had stroked on his hunter instincts, making him corner the supposed prey out of a reflex.

What he’d done afterwards however, Grimmjow could not explain it with instincts alone.

The words he’d spewed out of his mouth, he knew painfully well he’d meant it.

It was not really what he said though, but rather what they hinted at that bothered the man.

Kurosaki was good at reading between the lines, something he had learned during the past year. He likely had questions he wanted answers to once he woke up. Grimmjow releases a slow sigh and gets up, heading down the stairs and outside to have a smoke.

Not because he needed to do so or anything for a cigarette, he just felt a little easier outside of that damn place.

After he was done, the man sucks in a deep breath again and heads back in. Sure enough, Kurosaki had awoken, looking around a little concerned at first. Then as his eyes found Grimmjow, he seemed slightly relieved at first, before a certain tenseness overcame him again.

For a moment they both just stood there awkwardly - well sat in Ichigo’s case as he had not left the mattress yet - not really knowing what to say.

”.....I’m sorry.”

Ichigo’s words baffle the man, and he lifts eyebrow confused.

”Some of the things you said last night...”

He pauses to look at Grimmjow questioningly, likely unsure if the man remembered it.

”I was drunk. Don’t take it so seriously.” The man grunts, cracking his neck and avoiding Ichigo’s gaze as he walks to their food-storing bag, digging something out.

”.....Still. You were right. It was my fault you had to ditch your apparent home, and that you had to chase after me when those guys caught me.”

Grimmjow just shrugs and throws an apple at him. Ichigo manages to catch it, but he still looks at the man with a frown.

The stubborn shithead clearly wanted proper answers.

”I don’t wanna talk about it.” Grimmjow informs him firmly, gaining a frustrated scowl from Ichigo.

”Why not?”

”Because it ain’t bloody important! Your sorry brain is already preoccupied with trying ta make out what the hell happened and who the hell you are exactly.”

Grimmjow reminds him, making Ichigo flinch lightly as he had to admit, Grimmjow had a point.

However, he was not willing to back down so easily, not this time. There was clearly some air-clearing needed between them, whenever Grimmjow liked it or not.

”It would be easier for me to focus on the task at hand if your bizarre behavior did not constantly make me question things.”

”Yer free to not talk ta me at all; you never really had to, all you had to do was shut up and follow me till I can dump you back to yer friends.”

Grimmjow snorts at him and he walks to the couch and sits down, gaining a frustrated glare from the ginger, predictably. He rubs his temple, sensing a headache coming. It was annoying as all hell, and having Kurosaki pry into his head did not help.

”Why is this so hard for you to talk about?”

”I don’t even fucking know what you wanna know!”

Ichigo closes his mouth, lips in a tight line. Great, the man was back into his moodiness again.

Still....

”I wanna know...what _am I_ to you? I can’t make sense on it based on your behavior, because you keep changing it constantly.”

Grimmjow pauses, the hand that was rubbing his temple ceasing its motion for a moment.

”You sometimes act like you can’t stand me, other times...” Ichigo trails off, thinking back on their train trip, or the kiss pressed against his neck last night.

”I can’t stand you. Yeah, that’s about right.” Grimmjow mumbles, dropping his hands to his lap.

”Then why....”

The blunet just gazes at him quietly, something about his eyes making Ichigo turn quiet, awaiting for what he was going to say.

”I can’t stand how fucking _naive_ you are. Always thinkin’ there’s good in people when there’s not. I already told ya I don’t need nor deserve yer sympathy.”

Ichigo frowns, clearly wanting to argue, but the blunet just gives him a tired look, making him remain quiet.

”It’s much easier to just be a psycho madman than admit that you care about stuff.” The man finally admits quietly, rubbing his eyes with a sigh.

”.......Why would you want to not care about things?”

Ichigo asks softly after a moment of heavy silence, realizing that perhaps Grimmjow was ready to share an insight with him finally. The blunet remains quiet for a few minutes, gazing towards the window.

”Every time I do, it tends to get taken away from me. And it’s usually because of me.”

Ichigo was taken back by the honest admittance, and the lingering pain behind his voice. Silence fell between the two young men again, until Ichigo finally pushes himself up the mattress, and cautiously walks to the couch, sitting beside Grimmjow. He leaves enough space between them so they weren’t touching, but he kept looking at the man with a slight, concerned frown.

Grimmjow kept his gaze at the window as he spoke.

”My ma. The reason why this place is the way it is, why I ended up where I did...."

He sucks in a deep breath, then continues.

"... It was because dad triggered me ta have a massive outburst. I didn’t....”

He huffs and rubs his eyes now, his body shaking lightly. Ichigo was taken aback by the sudden moment of vulnerability from the man. He was certain he’d never seen him cry, not even before his memory loss, but it was damn clear Grimmjow was at the verge of doing just that. He managed to hold it in however, too used to repressing them by now.

”They were havin’ an argument over that shitstain wanting ta send me to some doc for his experiments, given my kind of elementals are a rarity.”

The venom was evident in his voice, and it seemed Grimmjow chose to speak about his father to replace his urge to cry with more familiar anger.

He could deal with anger, not with tears.

”Mum tried to talk him outta it. It got violent.”

Ichigo leans closer subconsciously, gently placing a hand on Grimmjow’s shoulder. The man stiffens, but doesn’t shove the hand away.

”I was just a brat, a little kid with barely any understanding of what the hell I was doing. I just tried ta defend her...”

Ichigo’s eyes widened, as he began to see where this was going.

”I accidentally hit her. Stopped her heart.”

Grimmjow’s voice had turned kind of distant, almost like he was not talking about a painful memory, but a scene from a movie or a book or so.

Ichigo could faintly remember reading about something like this, how some trauma victims might disassociate themselves from painful memories to cope. Grimmjow’s brain was clearly doing that for him right now.

”Pops got pretty angry. Not because she died, but because ’I almost hit him.” There, the anger was back again, and slowly, his face twists into a furious, borderline sinister grin.

”I did not really plan what happened next. I just...seeing his reaction, I got angry. Shot him with about all the power I could muster. The fucker flew through the wall and into the woods. His body was completely charred.”

The obvious glee on Grimmjow’s voice was unnerving, but it was colored with enough venom and bitterness to make it kind of understandable.

”...What did you do after that?”

The blunet remains quiet for a moment again, staring at the floor intently now.

”I ran away. Dad’s minion servants tried ta shoot me when they saw what happened. I dunno how long I was on the run, but eventually Shawlong found me and...”

Grimmjow did not have to finish.

”He brought you to that orphanage.”

The blunet just nods, still not lifting his gaze from the floor. Ichigo turns silent, processing the new information in his head, hand caressing the man’s shoulder in a comforting manner without the ginger really noticing he was doing it.

”....I suppose the stories people always had about me were right.” The man suddenly chuckles, making Ichigo look at him confused.

Grimmjow flashes him a sly grin, but it is mixed with a level of disdain and bitterness.

”I was born a monster.”

The younger male frowns at that, squeezing his shoulder firmer.

”Don’t say such nonsense.”

”If you could remember the stuff I did, you’d agree.”

Ichigo pauses and contemplates on his next words carefully.

”I...do get the sense that our history seems to be complicated, likely violent.” He states, making the man snort as if to say ’oh you have no fucking idea.’

Grimmjow says nothing however, knowing Kurosaki was about to give one of his motivational speeches again, and there was no fucking way to stop it.

”But I cannot deny the fact that you have been protecting me, trying to get me to safety, and at times you are almost...decent.”

”You know I kicked you in the crotch once, with lightning.”

Ichigo grimaces at the thought at first, but then chuckles quietly. Yes, it sounded like something Grimmjow would do.

”Is that something a decent person does?”

”I meant that you can be less of a dick if you want to.” Ichigo looks at him pointedly, actually gaining a slight chuckle in return.

”Grimm...” Ichigo  looks up at him cautiously after a quiet moment, but the man kept his gaze to the floor.

”Are you trying to say....that you care about me?”

The blunet remains quiet, but the way he tenses indicated Ichigo was spot on with his assumption.

”....And you were trying to hide it with your behavior. Because of what you just told me.”

For Ichigo’s surprise, Grimmjow shakes his head.

”It’s not....remember when I said I have urges?”

”You...did mention something like that last evening.”

Grimmjow rubs his eyes and leans back on the couch, head resting against the backrest now, face turned towards the ceiling and eyes closed.

”I wasn’t....Look. I hate bringing this up, because it sounds like I’m making excuses...”

Ichigo squeezes his shoulder, making the man look at him.

”Just tell me. I want to understand what’s going on in your head.”

Ichigo’s tone was sincere, and the man almost wanted to laugh bitterly.

NOBODY would truly want that, and nobody should. Who the fuck would voluntarily stick their heads into a beehive?

”It’s a sensory overload thing, sort of. Us lightning elementals...our brains get a ridiculous amount of signals because of our power, and it tends to cause ... mental or emotional problems.”

Ichigo’s eyes widen slowly, as he processes the new bit of information.

”It was the worst back when...”

”When we met?”

Grimmjow just nods, turning his head away again.

”I’m...not THAT trigger happy in truth, not like I was back then.”

Ichigo frowns, as naturally he could not remember what ’back then’ meant.

”....I beat you up. Several times even.”

The man admits quietly, turning his gaze towards the window again.

Ichigo... did not actually feel as shocked as he should have. A subconscious part of him had been aware of such a dark history between them.

”.....If that is true, why are you...why are things different now?”

Grimmjow shifts to look at him again, and for a moment the blue eyes examine the young man beside him, long enough to make Ichigo self-conscious.

”Lot of shit happened between then and now.” Grimmjow huffs out with a sigh, digging the phone out of his pocket.

He had turned it off just in case, so that nobody could track them using it. Plus, they had no way of charging it so he needed to preserve the battery. The man contemplated on whenever he should call Harribel now, as he did not want to stay in this fucking place any longer than necessary. It was just... he could not shake the feeling that something was off.

Honestly, their escape so far had been too easy, relatively speaking; it was odd that Aizen only seemed to be sending weaklings after them so far.

Surely the bastard would’ve known that Tesla and Yammy were nowhere CLOSE enough to take him down, let alone those three.

Then again, Patros might have acted alone in his decision to go and snatch Ichigo.

Still though....

”Where did you get that phone?” Ichigo asks suddenly, examining the cell in his hand with a frown.

”Some chick in Kagamino. Why?”

Ichigo snatches the phone without a word, and turns it on before Grimmjow could react.

”I think I’ve...”

His brown eyes widen in light shock, as his brain suddenly makes another connection, once he sees the background picture on the screen.

”This is... _Tatsuki’s_ phone? What was she doing in Kagamino that late?”

Grimmjow peeks over his shoulder at the image, and it doesn’t take him long to recognize the two girls in the picture.

”Ah. Those two.”

Ichigo turns his head to look at him, and then realizes their faces were really close. He quickly shifts a bit further away with a slight flush coloring his cheeks, before looking at Grimmjow again with a questioning look.

”I met ’em a while back.” Grimmjow admits, a slight devilish smirk wanting to creep up on his face.

Ichigo did not even dare to ask about it, and just turns his attention back to the phone, staring at the picture intently as he tried to connect more dots. As he examined the other girl in the picture, his mind slowly started to work again.

”....That’s....Orihime. This picture was taken during her birthday party...”

”That was apparently around the time ya went and disappeared.”

Ichigo glances at Grimmjow, and then frowns at the phone as he opens it properly and looks trough the files.

There were more pictures of that day; some of them included him as well. His hair was shorter and he looked healthier too. Except....he had rings under his eyes, as if he had not slept properly in ages.

”Ya already had trouble with yer stamina and powers before ya vanished.” Grimmjow mutters out, examining the photo of Ichigo as well now.

He recognized the bags under Kurosaki’s eyes; he had seen them too during his last visit before the ginger vanished.

”........If that is so, then it’s not just because of my memory.” Ichigo comments, bringing up his hand to examine it.

”Yeah. Ya refused ta admit it to anyone, that somethin’ was wrong.”

Ichigo hums then turns his attention back into scrolling through the photos. There were a lot of people in them, indicating that the party had been a bit bigger. Ichigo looks at the faces intently, but his brain was not willing to fill in any further blanks. Suddenly, as his gaze focuses on a specific person in one image, Ichigo’s body tenses.

”Kurosaki?” Grimmjow asks, noticing how pale his face had gone.

After a moment, the phone drops from his hands, as his body freezes in place. Confused, Grimmjow picks up the phone and looks at the photo Ichigo had been looking at. It was just a random group shot of a bunch of people within the celebration area; it seemed to be some sort of marketplace of sorts. The photograph wasn’t even particularly well lit. However, he soon realizes what got Ichigo so tense; there, amongst the crowd, Grimmjow could spot a familiar pink hair within the crowd, watching towards whoever was taking the picture.

”Szayel.”

That name caused anger raise within the blunet almost instantly; he knew the kind of sick shit the mad scientist did, and if Ichigo’s sudden tenseness was any clue, he had likely gone through some of the ’creative’ study methods the bastard had.

So this meant they had been watching Kurosaki for a while at that point.

There was no fucking way Szayel just happened to be there the same time, not with what happened soon after this.

What that meant, Grimmjow was not sure of, but it had to be bad.

A slight, uneven gasp gains his attention, and he could tell from the way Ichigo was grabbing his head, that he was likely having another flashback. It was a worse one this time, sort of like when he’d suddenly jumped off the bed, covered in flames. Grimmjow swiftly closes the phone and stuffs it back into his pocket, before grasping Ichigo’s wrists and making the trembling male look at him.

”Calm down.”

He instructs Ichigo with an even tone, keeping their eyes locked together.

If Kurosaki summoned out flames at random here, it could cause the place to collapse or so. The fireplace was fine as Kurosaki was controlling it back then. Now... if he freaked out, there was no telling what would happen. So he just kept looking at the younger man, reminding him to breathe calmly.

Eventually Ichigo regains a grasp over himself, and Grimmjow releases his wrists once he was certain the ginger would not burn the house down on them.

”I....that man...”

”Yeah, apparently he was there. Makes me think they’ve been monitoring ya for a while.”

As Grimmjow thought about it, a dreadful thought creeped up his head. What if Aizen had known about his visits to Kurosaki?

He was not sure what that would mean exactly, but he could bet his left arm it was nothing good.

Ichigo bites his lip and shakes his head almost violently, trying to recollect himself still.

”I...remember that party vaguely. I was pretty tired so I left home early. I think...that may have been when they took me.” Ichigo mumbles out, staring at his hands now.

Grimmjow is about to say something, when they suddenly hear noise from downstairs.

Both men freeze and listen closely.

”....Could it be an animal?”

Grimmjow gets up cautiously and sneaks towards the doorway, his instincts on high alert. Suddenly, something big breaks through the front door remains, completely destroying the last bits of them.

” **Come out Jeagerjaquez! I know you’re in here!** "

The big guy booms, his body covered in stone armor.

”Yammy.”

Grimmjow curses under his breath and turns to look at Ichigo, whose eyes widened as he recognized the voice as well.

”How did they...”

”Beats me, but me better get outta....”

He is interrupted as a large chunk of stone was hurled towards him, and the man dodges it, making the lump of rock crash trough the wall and then create hole to the library floor, just few meters away from Ichigo who just stared at it in shock.

” **Found you!** ”

The big guy yells and jumps up, landing on the other side of the hole on the floor, while Grimmjow scrambled up on the other.

”How the fuck did you guys find me?” Grimmjow snarls at the big guy, grasping Ichigo’s arm and yanking the ginger off the couch and behind him in a protective gesture.

Ichigo just stares at the large man, clearly still in shock.

”After Szayel heard where Patros had taken the brat, he deduced that if you rescued him, this was where you would go.”

Grimmjow curses under his breath again. He should have known better than to assume they would not guess it; Szayel especially was a sneaky bastard who was good at getting info about people’s darkest secrets and memories.

”Where’s the tiny bitch, ya left Tesla to the car or something?”

Yammy laughs at that, punching his fists together like the obnoxious meat-head he was.

”I don’t need that squirt’s help to take you down, Jeagerjaguez! Unless you wanna make this easier for us and hand that ginger over!”

Ichigo glances at Grimmjow with wide eyes and the blunet flashes Yammy an angry, vicious grin.

”Over my dead body, bastard.”

”That’s more like it!” The big man boasts and then jumps, aiming a large punch at the two.

Grimmjow quickly shoves Ichigo aside, and counters the giant rock heading at him with a lightning covered kick. It sends Yammy fly up and through the roof, but he soon heads back down with a loud growl, forcing Grimmjow to dodge out of the way as the giant rock-thing smashes trough the floor, breaking it even further and making the whole building shake.

”Grimm, I think this place will go down if he keeps that up!”

The blunet had to agree.

He quickly grabs Ichigo’s hand again and tugs him closer, before jumping over the large chasm Yammy had caused with the two attacks. Just a second after his legs leave the floor, that part of the room crumbles down as well, leaving a large hole in place of what used to be the library. They could hear Yammy climb up from under the rubble below, and the two quickly head down the stairs, reaching the broken front door just as Yammy busts out from trough the wall, chasing after them like a giant lumbering golem.

Grimmjow shoves Ichigo forward again and spins around, sending a bolt of lightning at Yammy. It burns his stone-covered arms and upper body, but the giant just kept coming after them.

”Fucking hell, this guy...”

Grimmjow grunts irritated and jumps in the air to dodge a punch aimed at him, before performing a swift, electrifying drop-kick at the man’s head, his body creating a large crater to the floor beneath.

The shockwave from the strike sends Ichigo stumbling down the stairs of the front door, until he lands on his face to the ground.

Ichigo coughs out the grass from his mouth and looks around hazily for a second.

Suddenly he senses a presence nearby him, and just as he turns to look, sharp pain hits his body and he stumbles to the ground, paralyzed briefly. Tesla had been waiting outside, and upon seeing their target stumble out from the old house he’d taken his opportunity. Swiftly, he begins dragging Ichigo towards the door, glancing at Yammy fighting Jeagerjaquez briefly.

”That fool better take him down soon; if we fail again, Aizen-sama won’t be pleased.”

Ichigo felt dread creep up his mind. Grimmjow was too preoccupied with his fight with the large man, that he did not notice Tesla trying to escape with Ichigo. The dread was quickly replaced by anger however.

It was not fair that Grimmjow had to keep fighting to protect him, when he should be an elemental too dammit! He should be a le to defend himself.

As this anger burned in his mind, something unusual happened; suddenly a wave of power hit him, and Ichigo opens his palm, aiming a blast of fire at Tesla’s face. The man let’s go of him and stumbles back with a pained scream, trying to turn off the flames. Ichigo quickly rolls around and jumps on his feet, kicking the blond hard in the stomach, sending him fly against the car.

”Like I’d let you guys do that so easily!”

Ichigo spats at him, and then he has to dive out of the way as Grimmjow kicks Yammy flying towards them, making the big brute land against the car as well, nearly crushing Tesla between his huge body and the vehicle.

”Kurosaki!”

Ichigo turns to look at Grimmjow who rushes to him, his expression showcasing open concern for a fraction of a second.

”I’m fine! Tesla tried to escape with me but I scorched his face.”

Grimmjow skids to a stop beside him and looks at the blond on the ground next to Yammy and the crushed car, noting that his face was indeed burned. For a moment the blunet just stares at the scene baffled, and then a pleased grin appears on his face as he turns to look at Ichigo.

”About damn time ya do something fer yourself!”

”I got out from that closet they kept me by myself too.” Ichigo reminds him pointedly.

Their banter is cut short as Yammy suddenly jumps up, breathing harshly but smirking gleefully like before.

”This is more like it! Come on, I’ll take you both on by myself!”

”Tsch. Ya ain’t got a chance against us both.” Grimmjow tells the man bluntly, electricity already dancing around him.

Ichigo could not stop the spark of silent pride in his mind; at the moment, Grimmjow did not consider him as somebody that he needed to fight for, but rather somebody he could fight with.

As it should be.

That thought made Ichigo pause for a brief second. They had fought before, both against each other, and together against a common enemy. He could not remember where, how, and why, but he sensed this was the case.

”Yeah? So far Kurosaki has been nothing but useless from what I observed! The fact even someone as pathetic as Patros could catch him is a sign of...”

He was cut off by a large fireball hitting his head, making the man stumble back against the already ruined car.

Tesla managed to roll out of the way, and he quickly scrambles to move further away, knowing that if Yammy chose to go all out with those two, he had no place in that fight, not without Nnoitra.

”You might wanna reconsider that.” Grimmjow comments with a gleeful smirk, aiming a near proud glance at Ichigo, which made the ginger smirk as well.

”Well you know what they say, Grimm; the bigger they are...” Ichigo pauses as Yammy charges at them, and they both dodge to the side at the same time, before swinging around and basically roasting him from behind with a mixture of lightning and fire, sending the man careening across the yard and crash through the manor wall again.

”.....the harder they fall, yeah yeah, heard that one before.” Grimmjow finishes his sentence, before charging at Yammy who scrambled out of the ruins he’d created, grabbing his face and electrocuting the _shit_ out of the big guy.

Yammy coughs out smoke as he stumbles back, crashing back unconscious to the hole he’d created.

”Ya might be big, but yer brain is the size of a pea, that’s fer sure.” Grimmjow grunts and spits to the ground, before turning and looking back at Kurosaki.

The ginger was smiling at him, a genuine, warm smile that he recalled seeing in the past. He had not shown it directly to Grimmjow, only doing it when he thought the man couldn’t see it. It caused this unpleasant fluttery feeling in his gut, the kind Grimmjow hated feeling.

”Don’t get too cocky just because you managed to kick Tesla into submission; he’s weak.”

Grimmjow grunts at him, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he starts heading back to Ichigo. The ginger’s smirk just widens, like he found Grimmjow’s dismissal amusing.

Suddenly, he stops on his tracks, and Ichigo looks at the man confused.

The blunet’s expression shifts from his usual scowl into some sort of...wariness.

”That aura....oh no!” Tesla exclaims from behind the tree he’d been hiding, his face somehow even MORE terrified than he was with Grimmjow.

All of a sudden, the morning sky began to go dark, as if shadows were wrapping around the area.

”Shit...” Grimmjow mutters, but before he could move, black tendrils shoot up from the ground and immobilize him, forcing the man to crouch on the ground.

”Grimm!” Ichigo yells at him in shock, but as he attempts to go to the blunet, the same shadowy coils wrap around him too making him unable to move a muscle.

”U-Ulquiorra-san! I promise we were going to...” Tesla is swiftly quieted by a large shadow wrapping around his head, making him fall to the ground. Unconscious or dead, Ichigo had no clue. A moment later, footsteps head towards him, and as Ichigo turns his head, he sees a pale figure, covered in long black coat, walking towards them.

Grimmjow lets out a low, frustrated growl.

”Ulquiorra.”

The raven haired male paces beside Ichigo, and glances towards Tesla, before turning his gaze back at Grimmjow.

Whoever this man was, he radiated power beyond anything Ichigo had sensed yet.

Part of him even felt that this man - clearly an elemental of sorts - was likely even more powerful than Grimmjow. The fact the blunet was tense in a whole new way, like he was aware of the scale of power in front of him, indicated Ichigo’s hunch was correct.

”You do not seem to change, no matter how much I hope.”

The man comments, his voice soft and melancholic, although it seemed to be just how his voice sounded, not that he was actually sad. Even his expression seemed to be in a permanent melancholic look.

”Why do you keep followin’ me around?! Nobody fuckin’ asked ya to babysit me!”

Ichigo lifts eyebrow at that reaction; it was clear there was history between these two.

The man - Ulquiorra - paced towards the furious blunet with hands in his pockets, although his posture was much different from how Grimmjow did it. Instead of a lazy, confident swagger, his posture seemed more closed off and defensive.

Ulquiorra stops in front of Grimmjow, and Ichigo tries to move, only resulting in the shadows tightening around him.

For a moment the green eyes stare at the intense blue ones, not blinking even once. Unlike everyone else they had faced previously - aside from Yammy - this man was not afraid of Grimmjow one bit. However, Ichigo could tell that Grimmjow was not scared either, despite his body being tense. It seemed to be a simple instinctive reaction he was having towards a stronger opponent, or it had something to do with their unsaid history.

Finally, Ulquiorra sighs, closing his eyes and backing away slightly.

”I was hoping you’d have changed, but you still keep leaving a path of destruction behind you.”

”You STILL bitching at me about that?”

Grimmjow snorts, tugging on the shadowy restraints.

His electricity sparkled, but for some reason Grimmjow did not seem to be able to burn trough them like with everything else so far.

”For yer information, its Aizen’s fault that shit went down. Had he not sent his damn lackeys after us, I could’ve dropped Kurosaki off AGES ago, without havin’ ta cause a mess.”

Ulquiorra sighs, looking down at the blunet with the same blank look.

”Aizen-sama did not know that Kurosaki Ichigo has escaped. It was Szayelapporo who sent those two after you. Granted, now that patros informed him about this, Aizen sama will in all likeness send stronger people after you.”

Both of their eyes widen, and for a moment Grimmjow just stares at Ulquiorra.

”So that's why yer here?” He finally asks, glaring up at the green eyed man. Ulquiorra gazes aside for a moment, his gaze drifting towards the ginger who was struggling against his shadowy chains.

”To be honest, I sensed something was off about Szayel’s statement from few days ago, before the truth was revealed. So I did a bit of investigation of my own. It soon became clear his poor security measures had not been enough to hold Kurosaki.”

The green eyes drift back at Grimmjow, who still glared up at him with the same fierce look as ever.

”I learned from listening in on Patros - whom I knew Aizen had sent on an undercover mission over six months ago - that you were with Kurosaki.”

”So you tracked us down here, huh? Always the sneaky bastard aren’t ya?”

Grimmjow growls lowly at Ulquiorra, who was not intimidated by the slightest.

For a moment, Ulquiorra remains quiet and just examines him, the hollow-looking stare freaky as it always was. Grimmjow was used to having people stare at him, but when Ulquiorra did it, it was really uncomfortable as it felt like the bastard could see right into your soul. Plus, there was that other reason as well.

”I decided to not take you out right away; I wanted to know why exactly you voluntarily protected a former enemy. What happened in the mansion back then also raised a lot of questions.”

Grimmjow tugs at his restraints again, and some of the shadowy strands snap, with a bit of electricity sparkling around him.

He does not try to attack Ulquiorra however, knowing it would be pointless. It would just go through him and hit Kurosaki instead.

”If Aizen wants his sorry ass, you can be sure as hell I make sure he don’t get it!”

Grimmjow snarls at the raven haired male, who still doesn’t react to his aggression one bit. It was frustrating as all hell; he did not really care if Ulquiorra did not fear him. He just wanted the bastard to REACT somehow and not be a dead fucking fish.

Ulquiorra remains as stoic as ever however, which made Grimmjow snarl at him even more.

”....Aizen did not send me. I came by myself for now.” He finally states calmly, and the blunet turns quiet for Ichigo’s confusion.

”You wanna kill me, before anyone else can, huh?”

Ichigo’s brown eyes widen, and he tugs on his restraints again, even trying to summon his flames. However, it was futile as his hands were completely engulfed, and it felt like the black mass around him was blocking his power somehow.

He could not understand why Grimmjow was so calm about what he just said.

Then again, he did come off as somebody who was not afraid of death.

”I don’t want to. But it seems I must. Aizen would likely still let you live for something, given the usefulness of your power.”

Ulquiorra reminds him softly, gaining a snort from the blunet as he looks aside, face in an annoyed frown.

”Yeah yeah, ya still think I can’t control m’self so I’m a danger to be allowed to walk around freely. Heard all of that before.”

Ulquiorra crouches down, and for Ichigo’s surprise, grasps the blunet’s jaw to make the man look at him. What surprised Ichigo about it was the fact the gesture was not forceful. It was almost gentle.

”You know you are. I saw the destruction you caused in Kagamino.”

”That was me!” Ichigo yells out, making the raven haired male turn his hollow gaze at him.

Ichigo tugs on his restraints again, eyes wide with worry for the blunet.

”I was the one who stupidly charged at those three, Grimmjow did not do anything!”

Ulquiorra hums and releases Grimmjow’s face, standing up and walking towards Ichigo with a blank look. There was a hint of curiosity in there as well however.

”Why do you wish to defend him? Do you not remember what he has done to you?”

”To be fair, I don’t. It doesn’t matter though.”

Ulquiorra seems a bit taken aback by the information regarding to his memory loss, but then he just tilts his head, even more curious now.

”Why would it not? You must have pieced together by now, that he is dangerous, and likely has done you or your friends harm in the past.”

Ichigo glances at Grimmjow, who was pointedly avoiding his gaze.

”......I know. He hasn’t really been hiding it.” Ichigo comments softly, making the blue eyes look up at him finally.

There was no defensiveness in them, no guilt either. Grimmjow was not the type to regret his actions, because one could not take them back. If you caused a lot of bullshit, you might as well stand behind it and take the consequences.

”But he has also done so much good for me, and others too.”

”It is thanks to him that girl likely lost her home.”

”Perhaps so, but Grimm also made sure she’d be looked after for.” Ichigo counters, keeping her eyes at the blunet, whose face remained blank now.

”How many people has he killed in front of you so far?”

Ichigo bites his lip and closes his eyes briefly, taking in a deep breath.

”A few. I’m not excusing his actions, and neither will he. He was only trying to protect me.”

Ulquiorra walks closer, examining his face so intently now that it freaked Ichigo out. Those green eyes were so deep it felt like looking into green tinted black holes.

”Why would he do that?” That question seemed to be more aimed at the man himself, as if he could not comprehend the idea of Grimmjow caring about someone enough to protect them.

”Because....” Ichigo glances at the blunet, who was still watching him, his gaze still stoic.

For a moment, neither of them spoke as they just looked at each other.

Then, a loud noise caught everyone’s attention, and they watch in mild surprise as Yammy scrambles up from his crater with a huge yawn, like he’d only been sleeping and not knocked out. As his eyes spot Ulquiorra, the man smirks widely.

”Ulquiorra-san! Fancy meeting you here.”

His eyes land on Grimmjow pinned down to the ground with shadows, and his grin grows so large it almost split his face in half. ”You finally trapped the slippery kitty! Great!” He stomps forward and summons rocks, clearly aiming to crush Grimmjow under his massive fist now.

”I can finally finish him off!”

Ichigo’s eyes widen in panic, and he yells out Grimmjow’s name, knowing the man could not defend himself right now as Ulquiorra’s powers kept him at bay.

The next second moved in slow motion, as Ichigo watched the giant fist come down, with Grimmjow just looking up at Yammy with an irritated glare, like he found it offensive someone like the big buffoon would be the end of him.

An immense burst of energy hit Ichigo, and he felt his entire body start glowing, burning with heat.

The next second, the shadowy coils snap all around him, and he charges at the big man, his entire form covered in immensely hot, white flames.

Ichigo doesn’t even know exactly what he was doing; all he knew was that he wanted to stop Yammy from killing Grimmjow, so he flew at him, grabbing the man’s face and literally set him ablaze, before throwing him against the house for the third or fourth time, catching the entire mansion on fire in the process.

He lands to the ground behind Grimmjow, the immense heat and light blinding the blunet briefly, and he felt the shadow around him dissipate, allowing him to get up and back away from the immense source of heat.

Eventually the light emanating from Ichigo settles down slowly, leaving him covered in a more familiar orangish glow. The manor was on fire too, the flames also changing color from white to orange alongside the flames covering Ichigo.

He was glaring up at the burning house, panting harshly, before he swung around, and turning to look at Grimmjow with wide, concerned eyes.

The blunet just stared at him, the way Kurosaki’s body was ablaze, let alone how his aura flickered.

A second later, Ichigo moves forward and grasps him into a tight hug, like he’d really been frightened of almost losing Grimmjow.

Yeah, it had honestly been a closer call than anything before this, so it was not THAT surprising.

Despite Kurosaki being covered in flames, they did not burn Grimmjow the same way they had completely scorched and engulfed Yammy, who eventually bursts out from the side of the building, trying to shake off the white flames still clinging to him, before collapsing to the ground with smoke rising from his body, either unconscious or dead.

”G-gods, why didn’t you defend yourself, you moron!”

Ichigo spats at Grimmjow, finally looking up to meet the widened blue eyes.

Grimmjow just stares at him, at a loss of words for a brief moment.

Suddenly, warm lips press against his mouth as Kurosaki kisses him, likely out of an impulse.

Once he pulls back, he glares up at Grimmjow with a fiery stare. Literally fiery, there were flames flickering in his brown eyes too. That stare is what snaps Grimmjow out of his trance, and he feels familiar annoyance and anger raise back to the surface.

”I fucking couldn’t okay?! Ulquiorra’s shadows are a pain to deal with, ’cause they tend to suck out people’s Elemental energy!”

Grimmjow snaps back at him, hating to admit how he was caught off guard.

This ability especially was why he could not stand Ulquiorra. Well, the second biggest reason.

Ichigo’s eyes widen, and he turns to look at Ulquiorra now, who was watching him with the same puzzled look Grimmjow had moments earlier. He was clearly shocked to hear just how much Grimmjow had been struggling against Ulquiorra's power, which was not that surprising given he'd basically wiped the floor with everybody else who had come after them with ease.

For Grimmjow’s surprise, Ichigo first holds him closer for a moment, then stomps between him and the shadowy man, his flames slowly turning white again.

The blunet was not certain if Kurosaki was aware just how bizarre he looked right now.

”I don’t know what’s the deal with you and Grimmjow, but I will NOT let you kill him. As he out it, you only get to him _over my dead body!_ ”

The absolute determination on Ichigo’s voice surprised Grimmjow; it was familiar, reminiscent of those times from the past, where Kurosaki had flashed his stubbornness at the man annoyingly. Ulquiorra just examines the intently burning male quietly for a moment, and then he closes his eyes with a soft smile, as his shadows begin to pull away from the area slowly.

”I suppose... perhaps something _has_ changed, if you are capable of having someone defend you this fiercely.”

Grimmjow remains quiet, this whole situation was so fucking bizarre he had nothing to say. Him being defended by Kurosaki? The world was going fucking crazy.

”However, I am afraid I cannot just leave you two as you are.” Ulquiorra states next, and before either of the two could react, they are engulfed in shadows, Ichigo’s flames being promptly extinguished.

At first he panics, reaching around in total darkness.

Then, a hand reaches for Ichigo and tugs him against familiar warmth, to which the young man clings to, having no clue what was happening. Moments later, the shadows disappeared, and as he eventually opens his eyes, Ichigo realizes they were no longer on the yard of the burning mansion.

They were in a small house somewhere, and Ulquiorra was standing beside an armchair nearby, the shadows slowly wrapping back around him and eventually merging with his body.

As Ichigo slowly looks up, he realizes he was clinging to the blunet almost embarrassingly tightly, so he backs away quickly, brushing his hair with a cough.

”Where the hell did you bring us?” Grimmjow demands from the raven haired man, who says nothing at first, just walks to them slowly.

For Ichigo’s surprise - and slight, instinctive displeasure - the pale man places his fingers against Grimmjow’s cheek, brushing his thumb over the man’s lips. The blunet did not seem surprised by the gesture, but he was definitely uncomfortable.

”I suppose, I am happy you finally found a reason to not hopefully destroy everything around you.” Ulquiorra comments calmly, before dropping his hand and walking further away, before turning to face Ichigo.

”This house belongs to your superior, the same person whose other safe-house you were in before. This will give you two a bit of time to decide on how to move forward with the situation.”

Ichigo looks at the man dumbfounded, whereas Grimmjow just snorts, crossing his arms.

”Why are ya helping out all of a sudden? I thought you were Aizen’s lapdog.”

Ulquiorra hums, examining Grimmjow’s face closely.

Now that Ichigo had witnessed that gesture from earlier, he could see what was behind that gaze. It was the same kind of hesitant affection, the same kind Ichigo sometimes felt towards Grimmjow. It twisted his gut in unpleasant manner, as something akin to jealousy settled at the pit of his stomach. The good thing was that Grimmjow did not seem to return that silent affection, not the same way he did with Ichigo.

He seemed to be.... aware of it however, as his gaze drifted aside, uncomfortable under Ulquiorra’s examining one.

”I have my reasons. You likely have two days or so, before you likely will be discovered; now that Aizen is aware that you are missing, he will make sure you will be found. After all, it is hard for Szayelapporo explain why those two died without telling him what happened.”

”Wait, so... those two you left back at the mansion.... they are dead?” Ichigo asks, feeling color drain from his face.

”Yes, at least I am fairly certain Yammy could not withstand your flames.”

As realization hit Ichigo, he began to feel light-headed and sick.

He now recalled what he’d just done to save Grimmjow, and...Yes.

He had likely just killed a man.

Ichigo stumbles back and takes support from the nearby wall, his face pale as he breathed harshly now. Grimmjow called out his name concerned, again not trying to hide his worry for once, and a warm hand places on Ichigo’s back.

”Tesla is likely still alive, although I might have to make haste with that matter as well. I cannot have him tell Aizen-sama about my actions.”

”Fair enough.” Grimmjow grunts, managing to tug Ichigo off the wall and against his chest.

He was trembling so badly now that he was likely going to start weeping soon enough.

”Two days, Grimmjow. This is all I can do for you. Next time we meet, I may be forced to do what I intended earlier, before he changed my mind.”

Ulquiorra warns the blunet, who just looks at him with a tired frown.

”Fuck off, Ulquiorra. I never asked for yer help.”

The raven haired male hums, and a moment later, the shadows envelop him, and he was gone.

The second his shadowy presence left the house, Ichigo finally began to cry. Usually Grimmjow found such a thing irritating and pathetic, but he honestly got why Kurosaki was upset right now. He had never been one to take a life.

Not even back when he had his brain in check and fought bad guys. If he could, he’d let them live. Killing someone, even if it was to save someone else he cared for, had always been an awful thought to the ginger. Grimmjow had used to think it was pathetic and pointless, but overtime he’d learned to respect the stubborn way the younger man clung to his morals.

It was admirable, even if it went against Grimmjow’s life philosophy.

”Calm down, will ya.” The man mutters tiredly into Ichigo’s ear, slumping to the nearby couch with him.

Ichigo just curls up against him further, his body still trembling pretty bad. As they sat there in silence, Grimmjow could not stop but wonder, just what the hell had he witnessed earlier?

The white flames, the sudden burst of power, not to mention the flavor of his elemental aura.

For a second... it almost felt like Kurosaki was in fact a metahuman like him, not middle class.

It was bizarre, and alarming.

Grimmjow had a feeling what he just witnessed related to whatever Aizen had ordered Szayel to do with him.

Eventually, Ichigo seems to settle down, as he actually falls asleep on Grimmjow’s lap. It was likely due to earlier burst of energy that his body was exhausted, making him sleepy. The blunet just lets him rest there for now, not feeling comfortable about letting go, as part of him feared someone would just pop up and try to yank him away again.

It had happened almost each time he turned his gaze away for a second or so.

So, he settled on the couch, absent-minded, rubbing the hair at the back of Ichigo’s neck again, waiting for him to wake up so that he could ask just what the hell had that been.

Plus...Ichigo likely wanted to ask about what the hell that thing with Ulquiorra was.

 

 

 

 

The raven haired male was not surprised to discover that Tesla had managed to break free of his shadow once he appeared back. He also was not surprised that the man was afraid, and begged him to spare him.

Unfortunately for him, Ulquiorra did not feel any particular need for mercy when it came to this man and swiftly used his shadows to engulf him again, snapping his neck to at least make it quick.

As he paced to Yammy’s charred body, Ulquiorra was honestly curious about the amount of damage.

Based on the information he had, Kurosaki Ichigo should not be this powerful. Yet, it was clear he had more power hidden in him than the young officer himself was perhaps aware of.

”I certainly hope that you know what you are doing, Grimmjow.”

Ulquiorra sighs as he turns his gaze up at the skies. It was cloudy, indicating the day would be rainy, which suited him just fine.

”Because I meant it, when I said I’d rather not kill you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never expected I'd like this chapter as much as I did in the end.  
> I had to re-write some bits given I adjusted a detail in the story, namely about when Aizen found out that Ichigo had escaped. originally he still did not know, but I realized that since Patros had called Aizen in the previous chapter, he HAS to know now.   
> Szayel has some explaining to do  
> so does Grimmjow.


	6. Intimacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the direness of their situation starts to sink in, the hesitant tension between the two finally snaps.  
> Ichigo makes a call to a friend.

Szayel was tense, and rightfully so.

After that damn fool Patros had decided to take matters into his own hands, he had revealed to their leader about his inability to keep Kurosaki in their grasp, and now he had to explain himself.

He was currently waiting in front of their leader’s office, fidgeting nervously. After a moment, the doors open, and Tousen gestures him to enter. Szayel slips in, noting that the old man Aizen had a lot of dealings with - A crime lord named Barragan - was there as well, likely to discuss business with the man later, once Szayel gave his report. The raven haired male was also there unsurprisingly, currently having tea with the old man.

”Please, sit down.” Tousen gestures at the chair in front of Aizen’s desk, and the pink haired man sits on it tensely, feeling his mouth go dry.

Their leader was currently looking out from the window behind his desk, back turned to Szayel.

After a moment, Aizen turns around and walks to sit back down on his chair, crossing his fingers together over the table.

”You may explain to me, why you had not told me about his escape earlier.” His voice was calm, but there was an authoritarian undertone to it.

”We thought we would be able to catch him soon enough without having to bother you about it, Aizen-sama. I did not expect that brute to show up to his aid!”

”You should stop underestimating your comrades, even the former ones.”

Aizen reminds him calmly, and Szayel swallows down nervously, noting the slight stealth creeping on the man’s gaze.

”You were aware that Jeagerjaguez had been visiting Kurosaki, weren’t you?”

”I...yes, but I did not expect...”

”Did you ever question yourself just why he was doing it?”

Szayel goes quiet, cursing at himself inwardly.

Yes, when it was put out like that, it should have been obvious that if Kurosaki ran into that maniac, he would’ve helped him. The fact Kurosaki had come to his aid during the final stages of his overload, it should have been so obvious!

It was just really hard to imagine that a lunatic like that lightning maniac could care about somebody, specifically someone who seemed to oppose everything he was.

Back then, he had figured Grimmjow was only doing it to inform Kurosaki about whatever information he was handing out to the Guard, as the ginger officer was the one he knew somewhat and likely felt more comfortable talking to.

But...looking back at the frequency of those visits, and how long he had stayed sometimes....Szayel should have seen it.

”I promise I will locate Kurosaki at once, and take that thorn out of our flesh for good!”

”I certainly hope so. Although I still have use for Jeagerjaguez.” Aizen tells him with a stealthy tone, making the pink haired man shake in his boots.

It was clear, if he failed any more times, he’d be disposed of due to incompetence.

”You have my word, Aizen-sama.” Szayel reassures his boss, trying to look confident while on the inside he was fretting.

Aizen examines his underling quietly for a moment, then finally nods, turning his chair around to gaze out of the window again. That was a dismissal if Szayel had ever seen any.

 

 

 

 

When Ichigo regained consciousness again, he was resting on the couch of the place Ulquiorra had brought them. Based on the light, it was sometime in the afternoon. What surprised him was the fact he had basically been sleeping on Grimmjow, using the man as a pillow of sorts. He quickly sits up apologizing, but Grimmjow just shifts up and rubs his eyes, looking at him with a tired frown.

”I....”

As the events from before come back to mind, Ichigo goes quiet, suddenly not knowing what to say. So much had happened, and he was still not sure how to process all of it. He gazes at his hands, recalling the immensely powerful white flames he was fairly sure he had not been able to summon before.

”That was definitely something new.” Grimmjow comments as if reading his thoughts.

Ichigo looks up at him, then his eyes drop at the man’s lips, and he suddenly recalls what he’d done after....after he’d burned Yammy. Ichigo’s face gains heat worse than ever before and he turns around to hide his face, muttering out an awkward apology. Why had he done that again? He’d just been so relieved that Grimmjow had not gone and died there....

”Stop bein’ so damn embarassed about it. I think it’s pretty fucking obvious I don’t mind.”

Grimmjow tells him with a tired huff, before getting up and finally scouting out the house, something he couldn’t do earlier because he had been too reluctant to let go of Kurosaki until he woke up again.

He could feel the brown eyes watch him, but the man ignored it for now, as he made sure the house was indeed as safe as Ulquiorra claimed.

Not that he really had a reason to doubt him; it was not like Ulquiorra to say the place was safe only for it to be a lie. He did not lie; he just left things unsaid a lot. There was some food there, so they didn’t have to go find a city for a couple of days.

Grimmjow couldn’t stop but snort. The freaky-eyes had likely chosen this place to bring them to because he knew it had supplies.

How exactly did Ulquiorra know stuff about the Guard’s safe houses Grimmjow had no idea, but he knew damn well just how resourceful the man was if he wanted to be.

Eventually, he turns his attention back to Kurosaki, who still sat on the couch, his face slightly reddish. His expression was no longer bashful, but rather, it was in a frown.

”Why did he help us?”

Grimmjow had known that question was coming before Kurosaki voiced it out. He sighs and brushes through his hair, irritated that he had to now talk about this too. Revealing the ginger about his....issues had already been hard enough. However, Grimmjow knew painfully well he could not really leave this one unanswered.

With a sigh, he slumps at the armchair opposite of the couch, and the brown eyes follow him, expecting him to start talking.

”Ulquiorra’s always been following me around. We lived in the same orphanage.”

Ichigo thinks back on the photos he’d seen there, but all he could recall from them was Grimmjow and the old man. Not that it mattered.

”Why?”

”For his passiveness, he’s a curious little shit. He was especially curious about me given how... different I am from him.” Grimmjow rubs his eyes, leaning forward to rest his arms against his knees afterwards.

He kept his gaze at the floor, an indication that Ichigo was learning about yet another topic Grimmjow did not like sharing. The fact he did so regardless....it warmed Ichigo’s heart a little, further confirming his earlier thoughts that the man indeed trusted him.

”He always kept bitching at me when I went too far, causing too much destruction or so.”

”Why?”

Grimmjow snorts and looks at him with a deep frown.

”I suppose he was concerned Aizen would punish me for it or some shit.”

Ichigo contemplates on those words for a moment. Yeah, if his observations from earlier were correct, that sounded like a possible reason. Ichigo felt that unpleasant pull in his gut again, and Grimmjow flashes him an amused smirk, indicating his disdain was visible on his face.

”What? Ya jealous or something?”

Ichigo just looks away, rubbing his neck lightly. Grimmjow examines the young man quietly for a moment. Yep, the fucker was _clearly_ a little peeved about the slight affectionate behavior Ulquiorra had aimed towards him, and Grimmjow despised the way it stroked his ego, seeing that reaction.

”When my power started going crazy, trying ta kill me...”

Ichigo’s brown eyes instantly shoot back at him, and there was shock and worry in them.

”Relax, we went through all that shit already.” Grimmjow tells him mildly irritated, not wanting to get into all that on top of everything else. Ichigo was still frowning, but eventually nods, indicating that Grimmjow could just continue his story without having to explain that for now.

”Anyway, I got even more erratic and violent than I normally am - shocker, I know - and he got extremely worried. He actually frowned at me couple of times, nearly gave me a fucking heart-attack.”

Grimmjow smirks lightly at the awful joke, namely because it made Kurosaki roll his eyes.

”Eventually, he began telling me that if I did not stop, he’d kill me himself.”

”But why?”

Grimmjow leans back on his chair, rubbing his eyes again. Kurosaki had a lot of 'whys' to him right now huh? The ginger should be damn glad Grimmjow somehow had more patience with him than anybody else.

”Said he’d rather end me swiftly than have me suffer and cause needless destruction. Too bad fer him, my overload made me so powerful he realized even he could not do anything; his shadows can suck out yer elemental energy only to a certain degree.”

Ichigo remains quiet. He still did not know - or likely remember - what overload was, but it seemed like something serious.

”.....Why did he still wish to kill you, if that overload was over?”

Grimmjow looks up at him with a grim smirk.

”He still likely thinks I’m too crazy and dangerous, given the shit I did during the past six months.”

Yeah, during the time Kurosaki was missing... he was not exactly proud of how on the edge he'd been. There was a time and place for going all out on people's sorry asses, but he'd done it way too much.

Ichigo felt a little unnerved by the gaze aimed at him. Whatever Grimmjow was hinting at, it was nothing good. Then again, he often hinted at bad things so this should not be surprising.

”I suppose the reason he changed his mind, was ’cause you made ’im realize I was doing shit for a reason and not because I was going crazy.”

Grimmjow huffs out with a sigh, brushing through his hair.

His damn headache from that morning was creeping back much to his irritation.

”....Did you two...I mean, with the way he acted before he left, did you...?” Ichigo finally manages to ask probably the biggest question he had about this whole thing. Grimmjow gazes at him with an amused smirk, though it vanishes pretty quickly.

”No. I was never interested in him; he freaked me out since we were kids.”

”But he seems....”

”Yeah. I don’t know why he keeps...being like that towards me; he fucking KNOWS I don’t really like him.” Grimmjow mutters out, rubbing his temple as the aching was getting worse.

Ichigo contemplates on his words for a moment.

Part of him felt strangely relieved to find out Grimmjow had no interest in the raven haired man, but he also could not stop but wonder why he still had those affections towards Grimmjow, if he knew the man did not return them.

”Look, that shit doesn’t really matter does it? You gotta figure out what to do within few days, before Aizen’s goons will be crawling all over the place.”

Ichigo felt his face pale lightly as he was reminded of the situation.

”Do you think he might...”

”Ulquiorra’s not gonna be the one to inform Aizen where he brought us. But he might as well be the one who comes after us.”

Based on what Ichigo had witnessed on the man’s power, it did not sound good. However, he could also see a bigger issue at hand.

”I...don’t think going back home will solve anything. Aizen clearly wants me for something, and won’t stop at nothing to get what he wants.” Grimmjow had to agree, he had worked for the maniac and knew all too well just how bad their situation was right now. If he brought Kurosaki back to Seireitei, he’d just end up in Aizen’s hands again sooner or later.

The two sit there quietly, feeling the near hopelessness of their situation settle in slowly; it looked bad.

Eventually though, Ichigo breaks the silence as he combs trough his messy hair irritated.

”I hope the water runs here, as I need a shower.”

Grimmjow had to agree on that, his hair started to look less orange and more reddish brown due to all the dirt on it from the past few days.

”It does, I checked it earlier when I swiped the house.” Grimmjow informs him, amusement in his eyes as he sees the relief in Kurosaki’s eyes.

The ginger gets up, then glances around unsure. ”Left side door at the end of the hall. There was all the other stuff ya need as well.” Grimmjow informs him, knowing what the ginger was unsure about. Ichigo nods and sprints to the shower, clearly eager on getting the soot off him.

Grimmjow sighs and shifts to slump on the couch again, rubbing his eyes as his head hurt. Fucking hell, this was forming out to be a real shitty week.

The only good thing was the fact that Kurosaki was not completely intolerable of a company, even with memory loss.

 

 

 

Ichigo was so glad to have all that dirt washing off him with warm water.

He had not really been able to shower since the one he’d taken in Grimmjow’s apartment, and it showed. The water on his feet was murky like back then, and he was actually surprised just how much dirt there was. As he let the warm water run down his skin, Ichigo’s mind began to wander slowly.

His fingers brush at the bite marks on his neck unconsciously, and he lets out a soft sigh, not even knowing why he did so.

The longer he stood there, washing himself and brushing his fingers over his skin, the more something tingled at the back of his mind, until a memory finally appeared. He had been standing on the shower, at his apartment. Grimmjow had...confronted him about something; they had had a bit of an argument. Then he’d gone to the shower.... and he’d eventually followed him.

Ichigo’s eyes open in slight shock as he remembers the way Grimmjow had forced him against the wall, stealing his breath away.

He could remember the reaction he’d had as well, the way he’d clung onto the man and let Grimmjow kiss him.

Ichigo felt a shiver run down his spine, as more of the memory returned. Grimmjow really had not been kidding when he’s said he’d slept with Ichigo before. He could suddenly remember that evening vividly, the way it had left him breathless and void of energy. As another shudder wrecks his body, Ichigo has to lean against the cool tile wall to take in a deep breath.

He felt heat creep into his body again, and Ichigo had to bite his lip not to make a noise.

It seemed that having that memory suddenly appear like this made it VERY vivid as he could literally feel the sensations he had back then right now.

It felt a little like Grimmjow’s hands and mouth were on him in reality and not just in his memory, and Ichigo pressed further against the cold wall, hoping the coolness against him would stop those sensations.

It did not help at all however, as the shudders just grew worse, until he had to let out a slight noise, backing away from the wall and slumping to sit on the floor, away from the rain of water. He gazes at his hands, noting they were shaking.

All of his previous memories had caused him to feel unnerved, or delighted as he recognized an old friend or a family member.

This one... it seemed to trigger a craving his body had.

Sure, Ichigo had been aware that he found Grimmjow attractive, and again, the man had mentioned they had done this before, but now, it felt like his body was tired of waiting. Ichigo curls up, hugging his knees and stares at the floor as he felt a mixture of emotions raise in his chest now. Part of him felt... almost ashamed of this sudden wave of neediness, especially given that Grimmjow had been holding back for so long, not even trying to get anything like that from Ichigo despite likely wanting it.

Other part of him almost hoped that Grimmjow would sneak in with him like he’d done back then.

Eventually, Ichigo manages to make the shaking stop, and he gets out, drying himself and snatching a new pair of clothes from the stack he’d taken with him from the closet. The white shirt was too big for him, leaving his shoulder exposed, but it was comfier than what he had been wearing. He also tugs on underwear and loose gray jeans, and after drying his hair, walks out with a sigh.

Grimmjow was on the couch, his face in a frown, likely suffering from slight headache.

Ichigo actually knew a trick that could help, but after the...reaction he’d had on the shower, Ichigo was hesitant to go near him.

”Maybe you should take one too. You haven’t showered in a longer time than me.”

He manages to keep his voice casual, and Grimmjow peeks at him with one eye, before pushing himself up with a grumble. Ichigo tried his best not to examine the man too much, but his eyes wanted to look at his lips now. As the blue eyes glance at him, Ichigo quickly turns his gaze away, pretending to be looking through the cabinets for whatever food there was.

He could feel the blue eyes on him for a long moment, until Grimmjow finally gets up and heads for the shower himself.

Ichigo sucks in a deep breath and just stares at the wall for a while, hands gripping the counter so hard his knuckles were white. Eventually, Ichigo manages to make himself actually look into what they had, and he noted there was some coffee on one of the cabinets. Ichigo puts the coffee pot on, releasing a slow sigh, before gazing out of the window. The scenery outside was fairly pretty, indicating they were somewhere in the mountains. Hueco Mundo was close by the mountain root, so they weren’t likely too far from the city.

The ginger could not stop but feel the anxiety rise in his throat again, as he thinks about his situation. He just did not have an idea how to get out of this mess. There were powerful people after him, who would not stop at anything to get him back. They had already found him four times, and could find him again.

Ichigo began to shake again, but out of frustration this time.

He was so sunken in thought that he did not notice the figure stalking towards him, not until arms wrapped around his waist, and he was tugged against a damp chest.

Ichigo froze for a brief second, but then his body just melted into the hold, as he felt the blunet press his mouth against his neck, kissing the marks he’d left there earlier. Ichigo releases a small sigh and tilts his head back until it rested on Grimmjow’s shoulder, and the man kept kissing his throat, tracing a line up to Ichigo’s ear with his tongue, making him sigh again.

The ginger felt one of the damp arms slip under his shirt, caressing the pale surface beneath.

Ichigo lets out a light gasp as he feels the teeth nip at his skin.

Eventually, all the tenseness from earlier leaves his body, which was likely what Grimmjow had intended from the start, upon noticing how tense he had gotten again. Ichigo feels the man slowly let go of him to try and back away.

The ginger protests instantly and turns around, grabbing his wrist to keep him close.

Turning around was a bad idea however, as Ichigo realizes the man was only wearing his pants right now, leaving his upper body exposed; sure, it was obvious he was physically fit, and he had seen this before in his memory, but still...

Ichigo found himself just sort of gaping at Grimmjow, who was looking at the hand holding his wrist with a stoic look.

His blue hair was sort of matted against his head and neck, and his skin had a healthier tan tone to it now. As he slowly lifts his gaze up to look at Ichigo with that same stoic look, the ginger moves closer, until his breath brushed over Grimmjow’s lips.

A second later, he was pushed against the counter harshly, as his mouth was positively _devoured_ by the blunet.

Ichigo’s feet leave the floor as he is laid down on the counter, his hair actually falling over the edge at the other side. He wraps his arms and legs around Grimmjow, who bit his bottom lip with a possessive growl as a response. Eventually the blunet releases his mouth to allow him to breathe, and Ichigo pants harshly, gazing up at the piercing blue eyes with his own darkened ones. At that moment, all the urges Grimmjow had been holding back for so long were finally coming to the surface, and his expression was positively feral.

The man looked like he was going to devour him right then and there.

Grimmjow licks his lips, and a grin began to appear on his face now, making Ichigo’s breath catch in his throat. He doesn’t resist at all however when he is tugged off the table, and carried to the bedroom with a fierce, open mouthed kiss pressed against his that burned his insides.

Grimmjow drops him to the bed, and Ichigo protests at the loss of the heat against his lips, but it is soon replaced by a whimper as Grimmjow leans down to bite his neck again, trapping Ichigo’s hands above his head with a firm grip.

The pressure against his neck increases, until Ichigo feels his skin break, and bits of blood drip down to the bedsheets below. Grimmjow lifts up, licking the blood away from his lips. He examines Kurosaki’s face, looking for a sign that he’d gone too far.

This was the kind of shit he often did when he got intimate with someone, but Kurosaki was suffering from a memory loss, not having a clue how rough he could be.

So he had to make sure he didn’t get freaked out about it.

Ichigo glances towards the wound in his neck, but then just looks back up at him, his body still mostly relaxed. He clearly wasn’t too bothered.

As his lips part slightly, Grimmjow leans back down to claim his lips, and Ichigo could taste his own blood on the kiss. It makes him frown lightly, but the taste doesn’t bother him too much. Grimmjow slips back down to slowly lick over the wound, pressing his lips against it in almost soothing manner.

”....You are not going to bite me again, are you?” Ichigo asks quietly, and Grimmjow lets out a slow chuckle against his skin, nipping his ear and making Ichigo yelp in surprise as he feels it.

”Not that hard.”

Grimmjow informs him casually, gaining a pouty look from Ichigo.

”I am pretty sure the idea is not that you’ll actually eat me.”

The smirk on Grimmjow’s face turns feral again, making Ichigo shudder. The blunet leans down, letting his breath brush over Ichigo’s lips, just out of reach. The ginger’s eyes became hooded, and he licked his lips, feeling impatient.

”Then you might wanna stop lookin’ so fucking _delicious._ ”

His low, purring tone and the choice of words made Ichigo gasp lightly, but he did not sound unnerved.

As Grimmjow flicks his tongue against his lips, the ginger pushes himself up with an impatient noise, stealing a kiss from the man. Grimmjow just chuckles and bites his lip, commenting something about never thinking Ichigo could be this needy. The ginger did not care at this point, as he was completely overtaken by the heat pressing against him, and the melted warmth within.

 

 

Fuck, Grimmjow had not had any clue how much he’d wanted this, not until Kurosaki was squirming beneath him, letting out sharp gasps and ragged moans as pleasure rattled his body.

Kurosaki was still on the skinny side, but he still looked as gorgeous as ever in Grimmjow’s eyes.

He leaned down to silence an especially loud moan from Kurosaki, and the mouth beneath him answered to the pressure clumsily, almost if the haze in the ginger’s brain made him forget how to kiss properly. Grimmjow had kept his hands pinned against the bed so far, liking the feeling of Kurosaki trying to struggle free from his hold.

Granted, if he REALLY wanted the blunet to let go, he would.

So far though, he was clearly into being dominated, which did not surprise Grimmjow one bit. For someone as stubborn and feisty, when it came to the bedroom, Kurosaki was clearly one of those who liked to be taken care of.

”Grimm...”

Ichigo slurs out, the name on his lips dissolving into a loud moan again, and he throws his head back, exposing the long line of his neck that just begged to be marked further.

The blunet feels a near devilish grin appear on his face, as he leans down to swipe his tongue against the exposed skin, before sinking his teeth against it. Kurosaki gasps loudly as he feels it, but doesn’t try to stop him, nor give him any indication he wanted Grimmjow to stop.

He doesn’t bite so strongly as to spill blood again, but he kept nipping at the skin, all the way up to his ear.

”You have no fuckin’ idea how much I missed this.”

Grimmjow whispers into his ear, marking his words with a sharp thrust, which caused the most satisfying sound escape from Kurosaki’s mouth.

He stops for a brief moment to pull back and take an inventory of his prey. Ichigo’s skin was flushed, almost glowy like it usually got when he allowed Grimmjow to dominate him like this. He was panting harshly, licking his lips constantly, and his gaze was hazy as he looked up at Grimmjow. Shit, he looked so good, that the blunet had to bite his lip and close his eyes briefly to not come right there and then.

”Grimm...”

That breathless, soft voice made him open his eyes and look at Kurosaki again.

”Let me touch you.”

He whispers softly, a warm, fond smile dancing on his face.

It was really fucking hard to resist that right now.

Slowly, the blunet releases his arms, and Ichigo shifts up so he could sit on the man’s lap, kissing him gently over and over. His hands mingled into the messy blue hair, massaging his scalp, dropping down to his shoulders to massage them lightly, and then wrapping around his neck to deepen their kiss. Ichigo’s hands don’t stay settled for long as they start to wander again, exploring the skin of his back, raking his nails down it slowly.

Not hard enough to spill blood - not that he would have minded - but enough to make the man shudder and tug Kurosaki’s body even closer against his.

Grimmjow’s hands grasp Ichigo’s hips, and the ginger lets go of his mouth with a whimper as he feels the man push back into him again.

Grimmjow knew he would not likely last much longer, so he makes sure to mark Kurosaki’s skin real and good, biting his neck and shoulder, licking over the marks he left and sucking on the skin, until the ginger could do nothing but cling to him and moan, moving his hips in rhythm with Grimmjow.

As an immense wave of pleasure hit him, the blunet sinks his teeth against Kurosaki’s neck one last time to muffle the low groan that escaped his lips, and he felt the ginger shudder and reach his end as well, attempting to gasp out his name several times.

Finally, he lets Kurosaki drop to the bed, breathing harshly and holding a hand over his chest, as his heart beat so rapidly the ginger almost feared it would leap out of his chest. There were several bite marks on his neck and shoulder, making it look like some sort of beast had tried to eat him or something. As Ichigo’s hand creeps up and reaches the spot Grimmjow had bitten, his expression turns miffed.

”You said you would not bite me that hard again.” He stares up at the man accusingly, showing the blood on his fingers.

Grimmjow actually laughs at his pouty expression, a genuine, warm laugh that had Ichigo’s stomach flutter in a manner it never had before.

The man grasps the hand then, and licks the blood off from the fingers, making Ichigo’s brain short out briefly.

It doesn’t last long however as the man shifts and slumps beside him, allowing the ginger to cuddle up against him, hand lying over his chest and above his own quick heartbeat.

”.....Thanks. I kinda needed that.”

”Yeah I’ve noticed that fucking your brains out stops you from worrying too much.”

Ichigo smacks his chest light-heartedly, gaining a low chuckle from the man, who then nuzzles into the orange hair, glad Ichigo had washed it as it no longer smelt like shit. For a moment they just linger there in silence, enjoying the quiet moment. It was not something that Grimmjow typically did afterwards, but he could not bring himself to move away right now for some reason.

”....That biting was still a bit too much though; my apparent boss might complain about the blood on the bedsheets.”

Grimmjow snorts and rolls his eyes at the comment.

”Ya should have told me not to do it right off the bat.”

Ichigo remains quiet for a moment, long enough to make Grimmjow wonder if the ginger had fallen asleep. Eventually though, his voice breaks the silence again.

”What should I do? I don’t like the idea of hiding, but...if I go home, my loved ones might get hurt, and they might just catch me again.” His voice was uncertain, and Kurosaki was clearly at a loss, having no idea where to go from here.

Grimmjow remains quiet, as he did not have an answer for that question. He could sense the ginger start shivering again, so he tugs the blanket over them, and shifts so Ichigo could rest his head against his chest too. The younger male curls up against him sighing contently, while Grimmjow scratches his scalp a little. After a while, Ichigo falls asleep, clearly too exhausted from their earlier activity to really think about this right now.

Grimmjow waits until his breathing was evened out, before getting up and tugging on his clothes, mind racing mile a minute.

The situation was a bit bad, but there was one thing weighing in his mind aside from it.

What the hell was that what he’d seen in the manor?

Grimmjow was pretty damn sure no middle-class elemental could pull out such power that would scorch Ulquiorra’s shadows so easily. Let alone the way Ichigo’s body had burned when he attacked Yammy. Grimmjow had seen him coat himself with flames before, but that had been different. This time, it felt more like he was merged with his flames, like how Grimmjow could merge with his lightning.

Glancing at the sleeping figure, the blunet could not stop but question if this was an effect caused by Szayel’s experiments, or if it was something else.

Walking to the kitchen, he notes that the coffee Ichigo had put on for himself had gone cold due to him being side-tracked. The man sighs and pours a cup for himself anyway, heating it in the microwave. He sits to the couch and drinks it, his mind replaying the events from before. He had never even heard of anyone being able to change their level like that.

One could get weaker, but not stronger, as in a middle class should not be able to turn into a metahuman.

It was sort of like a hawk turning into a cheetah.

Both were fast predators, but worked completely different.

Yet...it seemed that such a thing had happened with Kurosaki. It was bizarre, but as he recalled back what Patros had said, it seemed that the research Szayel was doing, its goal was something like this. Somehow, the incident from 18 months ago, where Kurosaki had saved his ass by a miracle or something, made the ginger a valid candidate for their experiments.

But how? Was it because he’d managed to perform the power sharing thing correctly, unlike Harribel when he’d tried to rescue Oderschvank years ago?

How would that even trigger such an evolution?

Grimmjow rubs his eyes irritated, knowing he could never come up with answers to any of this. With a sigh, he digs out the phone he still had in his pocket, wondering if he should call Harribel or not. Honestly, Grimmjow kind of agreed with Kurosaki; while he did not like the idea of hiding either, bringing him home was likely not going to help.

As he flicks trough the images on the girl’s phone absent mindlessly, he suddenly notes that some of them were from Kagamino, dated to the day he and Kurosaki had arrived there.

He suddenly realizes, that some of them were from the fight Kurosaki had had with Patros and his two minions.

So the girl had been in the crowd?

This meant, that she now likely thought that Kurosaki had either been taken home, or he had been kidnapped again. It still made him wonder though; having one of Kurosaki’s friends around a town she normally would not be, at a time she likely would normally not be out and about outside work, the same time as they were... Grimmjow switches to check trough the girl’s messages out of a hunch. He soon finds the kind of message he’d been looking for; the chick had sent a message to her orange-haired friend, telling her that somebody had seen Kurosaki in Kagamino.

The message had been sent somewhere in the morning of that day they had arrived, and as Grimmjow recalled back to it, it was sometime after they had arrived with the train. It was entirely possible for somebody to have seen them, and given Kurosaki was an active missing person case, it was not surprising that the public would have tipped them off. The last message she had sent to her friend surprised Grimmjow.

_”I saw Ichigo! He was having a fight with a group that looked like Guard officers, but I’ve never seen them before. The blue haired maniac was there too! The rumors were true.”_

So the bitch had spotted him, huh?

Given the timing on the message, it was likely that he had stolen her cell just moments after she’d sent that text. The orange haired chick had responded a moment later, though he’d ignored the buzzing back then.

_”Is he okay? Do you think someone is pretending to be from the Guard?”_

_”Tatsuki, are you there?”_

_”Hello?”_

By now, she likely knew the black haired woman had lost her phone. Grimmjow huffs out a sigh and puts the cellphone away, leaning his head back against the backrest, wondering what the hell they should do next. Two days, that estimate Ulquiorra had given was not a long time.

If they had to go on the run again, he needed to come up with a place to go and fast.

Suddenly, he feels the phone buzz again, and the man digs it out annoyed figuring he should shut the damn thing down again. However, as he opens it and sees the received message, he pauses in surprise.

_”Ichigo, please if you see this, call us.”_

Grimmjow just stares at the message; it was from the same orange haired girl. How would they know he was with Kurosaki? Unless... Perhaps the ice chick and the pineapple-head had mentioned to these two about the detail that he was the one looking after Kurosaki. It was not entirely an impossible thought, given he had seen them in the same picture earlier when Kurosaki had scrolled trough them back in his former home.

It was an extremely stupid idea, given these two weren’t even in the elemental unit, but Grimmjow had learned pretty quickly just how attached Kurosaki’s friends were to one another. It almost made him want to vomit, seeing how glued together they were. It only made sense that the two elementals would have told these two about him.

Even so...HE was the one who stole the phone.

What made the woman assume Kurosaki would be the one who had this cell?

How the hell would she even know he’d show this to him?

All she knew of him was the fact he’d nearly killed Kurosaki a couple of times, and lurked around in his house briefly.

Grimmjow contemplates on his options, and then decides what to do.

 

 

 

Inoue nearly jumped as she received a message a few minutes later.

After Tatsuki had told her about who had likely stolen her phone, a thought had appeared in her head. Rukia had told her secretly yesterday, that Ichigo was likely with the lightning elemental they had dealt with over a year ago.

Once Tatsuki had come home from searching Kagamino for Ichigo and told her what she’d witnessed... Inoue had been sure now.

That man was with Ichigo, which meant Tatsuki's phone was perhaps within his reach as well now.

Perhaps addressing the message to Kurosaki-kun was a mistake, but she had always had a strong intuition. After she’d learned what Ichigo had done back then to try and rescue the man, Inoue could not stop but think something had happened between them. It was not entirely impossible for Ichigo to even make friends with someone like Jeagerjaquez; she had always known Kurosaki-kun was good at such things.

As she reads the reply she’d received, her heart began to run fast; the young woman could tell from the way it was written, that Ichigo was currently not the one who had Tatsuki’s cell.

_”Why the fuck should he?”_

Ichigo never cursed like that, not when he spoke to her via text messages, or ever, really. After taking in few gulps of air, Inoue calms down enough so that her fingers stop shaking, and she types a reply.

_ ”This is Jeagerjaquez-san, right? Rukia told me that you were with him.” _

_”Can nobody of you shut the fuck up about anything? It’s no wonder we got ambushed four times already....”_

Inoue felt her heart skip a beat, and she felt worry settle at the pit of her stomach.

_ ”Is he okay?”  _

There was a longer pause, up until she received a photo as a reply. It was Ichigo; he was currently sleeping on a bed, cuddled up under a thick blanket. He seemed mostly fine, although there were two rather painful looking marks on his neck. She did not really want to think what that meant.

_”Fucking peachy as you can tell. Nearly panicked his head out earlier so I had to make him settle down.”_

Inoue was not entirely sure what he meant by ’making Ichigo settle down’ but she had an unpleasant feeling it related to the marks on his neck. It did not matter though; she was more concerned about the panicking part.

_”Why?”_

Again, a longer pause.

_”He figured if he comes home, he’ll just be caught again. However given you guys love to spill your beans to everybody that asks, it’s not like we can fucking stay here either as one of you will just screw our location over ta them.”_

Inoue pauses after reading that message. While it was said rather crudely, she understood the meaning behind it. After all, Tatsuki had seen unknown officers trying to arrest Ichigo.... which likely meant something was wrong within the Guard.

_”Can I please talk to him?”_

_”I’m not wakin’ him up till I know he won’t burn the fuckin’ house down on us in a panic attack.”_

Gods, what on earth had Ichigo gone through? Another reply catches her attention.

_”I’ll tell ’im ta do it once he wakes up.”_

Inoue releases a slow sigh, sending a simple ’ok’ as a response. She puts her phone away for now, looking out from her apartment window. She could not even imagine the kind of horrors Ichigo had gone through, that would make him have panic attacks. He had always been such a strong person, that it was hard to imagine.

She could only hope that Jeagerjaquez kept his promise, if the person she'd talked with had indeed been him; all she had to prove it was the way the man had replied to her; it was very similar to how he had spoken back then when they'd met. Despite it being such a long time from it, Inoue could not shake the encounter off her head, for she had been terrified for her life, and Tatsuki's as well.

 

 

 

 

When Ichigo woke up, his body was sore, but in a pleasant manner.

As he reaches for his neck, Ichigo noted there was a Band-Aid covering the bite wounds, and the skin around it was clean of blood. It sent a warm fluttering feeling into his belly, though the ginger knew he probably should not ask about this from Grimmjow. He was not the type to like openly admitting if he was being gentle somehow.

Ichigo was alone on the bedroom, so he had some time to think. He shifts on his back and gazes at the ceiling. Bringing his hand up, Ichigo examines it, as his mind drifts back to what had happened in the manor. His stomach twisted again at the unpleasant thought of him having killed someone, but... there was nothing he could do about it now.

Besides, what had been with those flames?

They had not felt like his usual flares.

They were stronger, brighter and burned much hotter as well, hence they had been white. He sits up slowly, still looking at his hands. After a moment, he closes his eyes and focuses, bringing up a small flickering ball of flames on his cupped hands. It looked normal, orange, and did not radiate such extreme heat like back then. Yet, Ichigo could tell something within him had changed.

It was like this strange burning feeling at the pit of his stomach; not an unpleasant one, but rather it felt like there was some sort of concentration of energy within his body that radiated heat and energy all over him.

”Don’t fucking burn this place down too.”

Ichigo jumps at the gruff voice and the flame turns out, and he looks up at Grimmjow, standing on the doorway with a cigarette on his lips. The ginger takes a moment to just examine him closely, feeling the warm sensation creep up his face again. Grimmjow had tugged on a sleeveless shirt, and his hair was slightly damp, indicating he’d showered again. Ichigo could not stop the smile appearing on his face, but then it died down as he registered the man’s words.

”I’m sorry, for destroying that place.”

Grimmjow snorts at him irritated, walking around the bed and slumping to sit beside Ichigo.

He brings his hand out of his pocket to pluck the smoke away from his lips, blowing a greyish white cloud into the air.

”I think it’s pretty obvious I don’t give a fuck. I hated that place.”

”Still... it was your home once, and you did seem to like your mother...”

”Don’t matter no more; dead are dead.”

Grimmjow grunts and Ichigo could sense his mood was quickly turning sour. It was probably not a good idea to talk about this right now. So instead, Ichigo shifts closer to the man and rests his head on Grimmjow’s shoulder, while still covering himself with the bedsheets somewhat. The closeness seemed to make the man relax again, as the mood around him shifted to a calmer state.

”.....Yer crybaby friend messaged ya.”

Ichigo lifts his head, looking at Grimmjow in surprise. The man blows out another cloud of smoke, before digging the phone out and showing the messages to him. Ichigo stares at the chat, then up at him.

”How would she...”

”The chick I stole the phone from, she apparently recognized me. I’m guessing yer elemental cop friends told them about me bein’ with you, so she deduced you’d see this.”

Ichigo’s eyes widen almost comically, and he looks back down at the cellphone in his hand, clearly a little impressed.

”She wanted ya ta call her.”

”When was this?”

”Two hours ago.”

Ichigo hums, and then spots something on the chat. A photo. His face turns scarlet once he realizes what it was about, and he turns to glare at Grimmjow peeved, who just smirked at him lazily.

”Why did you send her that?! She likely freaked out after seeing it!”

”She wanted ta know if you were okay; figured I’d rather do that than describe what I did to you.”

The slightly purring, borderline devilish tone made Ichigo’s face fume even worse, and he grumbles under his breath, staring at the picture irritated. He was _so_ going to delete that before handing the phone back to Tatsuki.

”So you gonna call her or not?”

”I...I just don’t know what to tell her.”

Ichigo mutters helplessly with a shrug. Grimmjow takes a drag from his cigarette, it was almost out.

”.....Ya could mention her about where I found ya exactly.” He states finally, feeling the brown eyes look up at him confused.

”I never mentioned Harribel from where exactly I picked ya up, but...now when I think of it, maybe I should have. I bet where they kept ya was somewhere nearby, because given your appearance, you could not have been running for too long.”

Ichigo closes his mouth and stares the phone with a deep frown.

That...did sound like a sensible idea; perhaps his friends could find something from there.

”It’s a start.”

Ichigo sighs finally, and after a moment of hesitation, presses the call button. For his slight surprise, Inoue answers almost immediately, like she had been waiting for his call.

_”Ichigo?”_

Her voice was borderline hysteric, like she was afraid it would not be him after all.

”Hey.”

_”Oh...thank goodness, I thought...”_

”Sorry, I was still asleep, I just woke up.”

_”Oh...are you okay? T-there was this, nasty looking wound on you...”_

Ichigo gives Grimmjow a glare, only gaining a smug smirk from the blunet beside him.

”Don’t worry about it. Grimmjow just has a twisted sense of humor.”

The man beside him snorts, taking a final drag from his cigarette before dropping it to the floor much to Ichigo’s dismay, and turning it off with his foot.

_”I...has he been....he hasn’t hurt you has he?”_

Inoue asks after a moment of silence, her voice laced with concern.

”No, I mean, his dickishness does hurt my _brain_ , but he hasn’t...done anything to me, not like that.” Ichigo glances at the blunet, who just shrugs, smirking amused at Ichigo’s comment.

_”That’s...good. Where are you? We can come and bring you...”_

”No, wait.” Ichigo cuts Inoue off, gaining a confused sound from the other end. The ginger huffs out a sigh and rubs his eyes. He did not like turning her down like this, sensing how worried the girl was, but...he felt he had no choice.

”I think... they have been monitoring me for a while. If I go home, they’ll just kidnap me again. It’s better if I stay hiding for now.”

 _”But...Grimmjow-san said you’d already been found several times..._ ”

”Yeah, I know, but right now we got an advantage. Besides I...might have a clue for you.”

Inoue turns quiet at the other end, waiting for him to say something.

”I....Grimm found me near Rukongai. I was... running away from something. I don’t remember what or where exactly, but there is likely something around there that you guys could take a look at.”

_”....I see. I should tell Rukia-chan about this, she and Renji are the ones handling this case.”_

”Sure, just.... do it in a way that not too many people will know. I don’t want them finding out that I got in touch with you; it might put you at risk.” Ichigo comments softly, gaining an eye roll from the man beside him, but Ichigo ignores the mockery for now.

He could punch the bastard for it later.

_”...I see. I’ll try to inform Rukia or Renji secretly then.”_

”Thanks Inoue.”

Ichigo responds with a soft smile. He could not remember that much about Orihime yet, but he knew in his heart she was an important, close friend to him. His smile seemed to displease Grimmjow slightly, given his slight, irritated frown. Ichigo just gives him a scolding look, gaining another snort as the blunet turns his gaze away.

”Don’t be jealous.” The ginger teases him with a smirk, poking the man’s arm with his elbow.

The blunet just gives him a dull look, before getting up and heading back to the living room.

_”Is there anything else I can do?”_

”For now, no. I’ll try to keep Tatsuki’s phone on us, but if I can’t, I’ll inform you about it somehow.”

_”Okay. Please be careful. I don’t....last time he was near you...”_

”It’s okay, really. Grimmjow has.... changed from that.” Ichigo tells her softly, glancing towards the bedroom doorway.

_”....I’ll take your word for it. Still. Be careful.”_

”I will, don’t worry.”

Ichigo closes the phone after a moment and releases a slow sigh, rubbing his eyes. Eventually he manages to get up, noting that his body was still sore as shit, forcing him to take support from the bed. He tugs on a shirt and underwear, walking to the living room. Grimmjow just nods at the coffee maker, and Ichigo realizes he’d made some for him given he had not been able to drink the original given Grimmjow had gotten him...sidetracked.

The man snorts at the stupidly pleased smile that appeared on Kurosaki’s face, as he takes a cup and pours himself a hot drink.

”You’re not that bad.” Ichigo informs him after taking a sip, as if the blunet had not heard what he’d said to his crybaby friend earlier.

The blunet just rolls his eyes again, trying to ignore the slight, warm feeling on his gut.

He rubs his eyes, still feeling a light headache bothering him. For his surprise, Kurosaki suddenly walks to him, placing his coffee cup to the table next to the couch, and he tugs Grimmjow back, making him rest his head on his lap. As the blunet looks at him with a lift eyebrow, Ichigo hushes the man, and starts rubbing his scalp with warm fingers.

”This might help a little with that headache.” The ginger informs him with a slight smile.

Grimmjow wanted to tell him to fuck off, and that he did not need him fussing over him, but his words die on his throat before he could even form them properly in his head. Fuck, it felt so good. Grimmjow had no idea what Kurosaki was doing, but the warm touch of his fingers was somehow dissolving the pain in his head. He closes his eyes and allows the ginger do what he wanted for now, relaxing under the touch.

Ichigo could not stop but smirk a little. For a man who seemed to like being in the leading role, he enjoyed this almost shamelessly.

It was the strangest thing, but for a brief moment, the atmosphere around them felt almost domestic.

Somewhere at the deepest part of his brain, the part he rarely listened to, Grimmjow noted he could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo  
> Chapter six. Stuff gets cuddly, if you get what I mean.  
> From this point forward, updated might be slower as I don't have a clear direction in my head yet. Hopefully I can figure it out soon though.  
> Balancing the asshole-Grimmjow with the softer-Grimmjow is hard.


	7. Dark thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day passes in the new safehouse, as the two just try to process the situation as well as the fondness they feel for each other. Grimmjow's senses warn him that something is coming. Whenever the threat is those after them, or something within Ichigo, or perhaps even himself, he cannot be for sure about, not yet.  
> Perhaps, it ends up being all three

Rukia was more than surprised to hear about the call from Inoue.

However, she was also glad to hear that Ichigo was alright - mostly - and now they had a clue on what happened.

”Rukongai huh?”

She mutters, looking through the files relating to the town. It was notorious from its criminal activity, so it should not have been too surprising to hear that the place was related to this. She was also alarmed about the fact she’d learned from Harribel; there was a rat in the Guard who worked for Aizen. This meant, she had to be really careful about this investigation now, to not alert the wrong people about the fact she was looking into it.

The only one she knew she could trust was Renji, but knowing that Aizen was a light elemental and he had those serving under him, the Renji she may be talking with one moment may not in fact be him after all.

Rukia sighs and rubs her eyes, before scrolling through the files again.

There were several places in Rukongai that would need checking, she did not know where to start. If only, Ichigo could have been more precise just where exactly Jeagerjaquez had picked him up from that would have helped her research tremendously.

The fact it had to be the blue haired maniac instead of any of them.... it made the woman feel like she’d failed her friend.

They had been busting their asses of for months to find Ichigo, only for him to be rescued by a man who tried to kill him.

A man who somehow seduced him and made Ichigo care about him, probably undeservedly.

Rukia did not like this at all.

While she searched trough the files, she did not notice the figure watching her secretly. He had not been surprised that Patros had gone and attempted to steal Kurosaki for himself after he'd informed the man about the young officer's location once he received the phone-call from Mallia. He was also not surprised to learn that the man had gone and died, facing off against someone more powerful than him.

What he had not expected though, was seeing Ulquiorra there as well, around the time Patros received his information. The man had a feeling that Szayel's job of finding the two would likely get much harder now, if the raven haired male was involved. 

"My my, I suppose that flame from his childhood still burns strong. I feel sorry for the boy honestly...Jeagerjaguez was never the kind of person meant for him." The man mutters brushing trough his hair, contemplating on his next move. 

 

 

 

Ichigo was currently writing down more of his memories and knowledge on yet another notebook, given the previous one had burned down alongside the Jeagerjaquez mansion ruins.

Grimmjow was asleep on the couch, sleeping away rest of his headache. Ichigo had rubbed his head for few minutes, up until the man had actually fallen asleep. The ginger felt his eyes drift at the man over and over while he wrote, and his free hand moved up to brush against the band aid on his neck. He was fairly certain now; that they both were clearly fond of each other somehow, but there was some unsaid things and history between them that made the whole thing complicated.

Ichigo kind of wanted to ask the man to just tell him everything that happened, but given Grimmjow had shared so much of himself already; the ginger felt that this part was something he should discover by himself.

With a sigh, the brown eyes drift back at his notes. There was the basic stuff he’d written down for the third time now, but he had also added notes about the strange shift in his powers. Aizen clearly wanted to find a way to somehow power-up elementals, and it seemed Ichigo was perhaps the first success story he had, if the white flames had been what both of them had thought it had.

There was also a name that Grimmjow had mentioned; Oderschvank.

This person seemed to relate to this whole project somehow. Something had happened to her that derailed the experiment or so. Something relating to that blond man Tesla. Ichigo shuddered as he thought about the fact he’d caused his death. Sure, he had not been the one who killed the young man, but he felt responsible, as Ulquiorra had likely killed him once he went back, to cover the fact he had aided Grimmjow and him.

Ulquiorra.

Ichigo still did not know what to think about the gloomy raven haired man. He was clearly powerful, perhaps stronger than Grimmjow, yet seemed to harbor some form of affection towards the lightning elemental, despite being aware he did not respond to it. It was...bizarre to Ichigo. Why pining after someone you cannot get? Was the man desperate, or just so passive that he did not care if his affection was not returned?

Somehow, Ichigo felt the latter was more likely.

Still though, the thought of being able to plan on killing someone you were fond of...it was really disturbing to Ichigo.

He could never imagine being able to even consider that, even if the person he cared about was being a danger to others. He’d try to find another way, anything, instead of giving up on them. That thought triggers a flashback on his mind, and Ichigo freezes, his eyes turning hazy for a moment.

He could remember a feeling of desperation, wanting to stop someone from doing something. There was immense blue light around him, and the light was painful. It felt like he was dying.

No, not him; Grimmjow had been the one who’d almost...

Ichigo falls off his chair, holding his head as more images pop in his head. He’d been bleeding, trying to stop Grimmjow from literally exploding, as his energy ravaged his body, burning it out rapidly. Reaching through his energy heavy aura had been immensely painful, but he’d done it.

Somehow, he’d managed to take bit of excess energy from Grimmjow, enough to make the heavy aura dissipate. But it had not been enough. The ginger gazes at his hands, as he remembers holding the still dying man on his arms, terrified that he perhaps could not save him after all. The blond woman had been there, explaining him something about this. He’d tried to take more of the energy away, but....

a large blast had eventually left Grimmjow’s body and knocked him out.

He’d failed.

_He’d failed._

**_He’d failed._ **

 

 

Ichigo lets out a whimper, loud enough to finally wake up the blunet, and he looks around irritated, then spots Kurosaki sitting on the floor, tugging on his hair as flames flickered around him - they were white now - and he was clearly in tears.

Grimmjow jumps up and crouch beside him, grasping the hands trying to tug off bits of orange hair, trying to gain eye contact. The white flames that brushed against his skin felt unpleasantly hot, but did not leave any marks on him yet. ”Kurosaki, snap outta it.” He tells the younger male firmly, who just looks at him with wide, watery eyes.

”I failed, I tried to save you, and I failed...” He kept repeating that over and over, like it was some fucking seizure.

Grimmjow soon understood just what kind of flashback he was having.

Ignoring the painful heat emitting from Ichigo’s palm, the man tugs it against his chest with a slight flinch, so the ginger could feel his heartbeat.

”I am NOT dead you moron. Ya did save my sorry ass, even if I don’t know why you bothered.”

Ichigo just kept repeating those words quietly, his entire body shaking. This seizure was much worse than the panic attacks before, given the last time Kurosaki did not seem to lose his sense of self, like he did right now. With a frustrated sigh, the man mingles his fingers into the hair at the back of Ichigo’s head, and tugs him closer for a kiss, swiftly silencing his words.

It was softer than his usual kisses, but the point was not really to get him laid this time.

He just needed Kurosaki to fucking snap out of this before he burned the house down.

Eventually, the ginger starts responding to the kiss, and his eyes slid closed as he suddenly leaps forward, nearly making Grimmjow fall on his back to the floor. Ichigo kisses him deeply, his arms wrapping around the man’s neck like vice, seemingly never wanting to let go. The flames that had previously burned almost painfully turned into more gentle warmth, like extra soft touches of Kurosaki’s fingertips on his skin.

It was another sign that he was no longer mere middle-class. Only metahuman elementals had their element respond to the user’s mood this precisely.

Grimmjow slips his arms around the slim waist, kissing him softly until Kurosaki finally calms down, pulling back and looking down at him slightly puzzled.

”Ya done spazzing out now?” The blunet grunts at him, sounding irritated, but doesn’t let go just in case.

Ichigo just stares at him dully, as if trying to process what just happened.

Once he finally seems to gather his bearings, he scoots back from his lap quickly, his face red with embarrassment as he scrambles up. Grimmjow says nothing, just tugs himself off the floor as well, and leans against the table with crossed arms, looking at him with lift eyebrow.

”I....I think it was about the while overloading thing...”

”Sounded like it.”

”....Sorry, that was...” Ichigo rubs his head, avoiding his gaze.

He felt embarrassed about his sudden emotional outburst, although he had not minded the kiss at all.

”I saw you weep over my apparent death once before, so this ain’t exactly anything new to me.” Grimmjow comments casually with a light smirk, making the ginger glare at him peeved.

”So...”

Ichigo begins after a moment of silence, but his mind was still reeling from the flashback, so it took him a while to find the right words.

”I was thinking...about this whole thing with me and Aizen’s experiments...there was a name you mentioned I think, relating to it.”

”....You wanna ask about Oderschvank, huh?”

Ichigo just nods, looking a bit uncertain. Grimmjow had revealed so much to him already, he felt kind of bad asking for more, when he could not offer an explanation to his disappearance yet.

”It’s....Tia’s better at talkin’ about it, given she’s her partner.” Grimmjow admits after a moment of silence, making Ichigo lift eyebrow at him.

”Back when I was dying, she explained you what to do. She also mentioned that something similar had happened ta someone she knew. She was talkin’ about Nelliel.” Grimmjow explains his face in a serious frown.

”Nelliel was one o’ us, a metahuman elemental with nature based power. However, ta thing with her was that she had a natural ability to sorta copy other people’s power to a degree, or use their energy ta strengthen hers.” Ichigo’s eyes widen, and he sits back down, listening keenly to what Grimmjow was telling him.

”Aizen wanted ta see if he could somehow come up with a way ta transfer her abilities to others, where we could get even more power, or he could up the level of an elemental.” Grimmjow closes his eyes with a deep frown, as he recalls back to the day Oderschvank had been attacked and nearly killed.

He just happened to be around, watching it just as Nnoitra made his move.

Back then he’d already, been suffering from overload, so he had not had much fucks to give, hence he had not gone to even try and help her.

Plus, he’d honestly thought she’d just wipe the floor with him anyway.

”Nnoitra and his lapdog - Tesla - made her suck in too much energy, triggering an instant overload. He pretty much left her to the ground, coughing for blood as that black stuff spread across her body.”

Ichigo’s eyes widen, and then he looks at Grimmjow with a frown. The man knew what he wanted to ask, and looks at him with a sharp stare.

”I coulda not have helped her. I was dying m’self anyway.”

Ichigo did not seem satisfied with his answer, but just nods with a sigh, asking him to continue.

”Harribel arrived a few seconds after Nnoitra escaped the scene. She an’ Nel had always been close, so she thought she could perhaps perform the thing vise-versa, take her energy into her so to say.”

”...I’m guessing it did not work.”

Grimmjow shrugs, scratching his neck as he turns his gaze away.

”It did. Sorta. She did not die, but Oderschvank fell into a coma. She’s still in that state in a hospital somewhere. Likely in Seireitei now, that Harribel works fer the Guard.”

Ichigo takes a moment to process that information, connecting it to his latest set of memories to try and understand them better.

”....I think...you said that you never told Aizen about it...?”

”Nah. He was quite angry about the fact somebody had near ruined his experiments by taking out his key subject.”

Grimmjow shrugs again, not really caring too much about this incident. Or he had not cared, not until now.

”...Why did that man even attack her in the first place?”

”Nnoitra was jealous; the fucker could not understand why Aizen kept her in such high regard, so he wanted ta prove he was better. The stupid fucker was not aware why exactly Aizen appreciated her, thinking it was because the bastard thought she was stronger than the rest.”

Grimmjow snorts, thinking back on all the times he’d heard the tall man whine about this to him. For some reason Nnoitra had assumed he agreed with him or cared, just because apparently they shared a similar thirst for battle.

It was not even _close_ to the truth.

Granted, he had not known about the true reason behind why Nelliel was so important back then, not until Aizen had revealed after she’d been taken out - thus making Tesla and Nnoitra near pee their pants - but he had never felt jealous or despised the woman the same way Nnoitra did.

She just made him uncomfortable, the same way Ulquiorra did.

Not for the same reason though.

Back then, he had not been able to really grasp why people gave a shit about him, people that did not actually know him so well.

Shawlong was different; he had basically raised his sorry ass.

Liones, D-roy, Yltfordt, he had grown up playing with them.

Ulquiorra had just been this weird kid that stalked him, and Nelliel had been the even weirder woman who seemed to like him despite how harsh he was towards her.

He just could not understand it. For Grimmjow, having a stranger care about you was a foreign concept.

”....I see. Makes me wonder though; why did it work with me then?”

It was a good fucking question; it could be anything from the fact it was transferring energy from metahuman to a middle-class, to the fact he’d already used his energy against Kurosaki so much that it perhaps accepted it easily, to just about anything. Hell if he knew.

”I mean....you said that this woman specifically had an ability to take energy from others. Neither of us had that...”

”There was a theory that ya can do it between two similar types of elemental energy. We both go under the same category so that might explain it a little.” Grimmjow says with a shrug, then looks at Ichigo with lift eyebrow, as he seemed a little baffled.

”What?”

”No...it’s just, it’s kinda weird to have you seemingly understand something about this whole science thing....”

Grimmjow looks at him annoyed; making Ichigo turns his gaze aside awkwardly.

”Everybody assumes I’m somehow completely illiterate about elemental science just because I’m a brute. Stop fucking mixing me up with the likes of Yammy.”

Ichigo flinches a little, both at the mention of that name, as well as the genuine offended tone on Grimmjow’s voice.

”Sorry...”

Grimmjow just shakes his head with an annoyed sigh.

”Would be easier ta make sense on all of this if we had somebody who knows more about this shit than me.” Grimmjow admits after a moment, and Ichigo had to agree. Someone more educated on Elemental science could perhaps explain what was going on with Ichigo much better. Right now however, neither of them had an idea on who it could be.

 

 

 

 

Szayel had this time come personally to investigate the area of the burned mansion, where Yammy and Tesla had gone to snatch Kurosaki back.

The place was completely burned down, although he’d already taken care of the two bodies.

Curiously, Tesla did not have anywhere near as much fire damage to him as Yammy. His neck was snapped which felt odd to the pink haired man; Grimmjow was not the type to just grant such a painless death, he would have fried the man until he bled from every orifice he possibly could.

There weren’t many clues left, given how utterly obliterated the place was.

However, the amount of destruction was a clue on itself; based on the damage, it was done mostly by fire rather than lightning, indicating that his experiment on Kurosaki had perhaps worked. The officer was turning into a metahuman, which was good news.

Bad news was, he had no idea where the two could have gone. Even the elemental trackers they had brought could not catch a whiff of them, which did not make sense. Surely, even if Jeagerjaquez had teleported them with his ability, it would have left a trace. It felt like someone had magically whisked the two away from the scene.

Szayel kicks a charred piece of wood aside frustrated, watching his underlings work and try to clear the area to find something useful. He was fairly sure it was useless to do however; everything was completely destroyed.

”Where could that slippery cat have gone now?”

Szayel muses, tapping his jaw as he thinks about it. While a brutish warrior, Jeagerjaquez was by no means stupid.

He was not science smart like Szayel, but he had cunningness and tactical agility to him that was to be admired. Natural born hunter so to say; he had been highly useful for assassinations and intimidation, and even when some poor fool had to be seduced.

Given the car was still there trashed, he could not imagine the man having gone too far; while he was apparently able to teleport with Kurosaki, given the limitations of his ability, even if using that he could’ve not brought them miles away that easily. Even if there were no races of their energy, by all logic they had to be close by. Perhaps they were just hiding their auras, knowing they were being pursued. Surely Grimmjow would realize to do such a simple thing in this situation, and even teach his companion how to do it if Kurosaki did not know how yet.

Nearest city was Hueco Mundo naturally, but he doubted they would have gone there.

Hiding under Aizen’s nose was near impossible, Jeagerjaquez knew that.

He would not risk going to a place where he would get caught so easily. Especially not if he really did care for Kurosaki as much as his behavior indicated. So, what other options could he have?

”Szayel-sama, we cannot find anything; the place is too burned down.” One of his underlings informs the man, who shakes his head irritated, trying to think.

It was not easy, getting into the head of an impulsive lightning elemental.

”They cannot have gone too far; search the nearby area for any potential buildings or hiding places.” He orders his minions finally, hopefully coming up with something before Aizen would get too impatient. Pretending to be doing something was better than obviously showcasing he was not making any progress.

He was not aware of the green eyes watching him, hiding within the shadows of the forest.

 

 

Ichigo was glad there had been food in the villa, as it had begun to rain heavily outside.

Neither of them were keen on going out, not when there were people after them, let alone having cold water pour down on them. The ginger was currently cooking - some eggs, rice and dried pork meat along with a sauce he’d found was still eatable - while Grimmjow rested on the couch. He was clearly slightly restless, not liking to sit at one place for long periods of time, but he clearly did not like cooking, so he let Ichigo do it by himself.

The man had nothing else to do right now either, so he napped.

”Lazy cat...”

Ichigo mumbled as he glanced at the man, although his tone was laced with affectionate amusement.

In truth, they both were feeling extremely tense, but clearly coped with it differently. Ichigo needed something to do to prevent an anxiety attack, whereas Grimmjow preferred to just sink into his thoughts, when he could not just destroy shit.

This was...almost like how it had been back then, when he’d dropped by Kurosaki’s place for free food and a few hours of annoying him.

Except, this time he did not feel like taunting the ginger at all. Plus, the quiet, half-hidden tension between them was much more out in the open now, given he could no longer feel the hesitation emanating from Kurosaki. When the ginger glanced at him, he smiled much more openly, and if he thought Grimmjow had not heard that cat comment, he had another thing coming.

In the past, a remark like that would have earned Kurosaki a sharp kick in the gut or a strong zap, but right now his only reaction was a quiet eye roll.

Not everybody needed to walk around and do shit to deal with their thoughts.

As he glances at Kurosaki, he could not stop himself from smirking at the way the ginger kept touching his neck, clearly a subconscious reflex he was not fully aware of. As he kept examining the ginger more closely, he noted there was a faint smile on his lips despite the slight tension on his body language. It was the weirdest fucking thing, given he knew all too well why Kurosaki was smiling like a damn sap.

No one had ever had an expression like that because of him. Not even Shawlong, who raised him, nor his friends who had followed him everywhere like obedient puppies.

Hell.

Not even damn _Ulquiorra,_ who was clearly keen on having the kind of attention he gave to Kurosaki.

He did not know how to describe the difference exactly; it felt...sort of unconditional in a way.

There were no layers of concern behind it, like from Shawlong or Oderschvank back when she was still awake, no admiring devilish tone like his friend had when he wrecked shit up. Not that fucking overly droopy melancholia from Ulquiorra.

Kurosaki was smiling because he was happy to have Grimmjow with him, with his flaws and all.

The blunet shakes his head and turns his gaze away, not liking the way his thoughts were edging close to tenderness. Just because he admittedly....liked Kurosaki, it did not mean he had to accept all the weird emotions this fact caused.

After a moment, the food was done, and Ichigo walks to the blunet, poking his forehead.

”Get up freeloader, food is done.”

Grimmjow looks at him baffled for a moment; that line was something Kurosaki used to say to him a lot when he was visiting. For a moment the ginger looks back confused, then his eyes widen as he seems to realize what just happened.

”I guess some habits just cannot be killed, not even with amnesia.”

He comments with a sheepish laugh, scratching his hair awkwardly. Grimmjow just snorts at that and walks to the table, slumping down to eat. Kurosaki followed suit, although he seemed to spend more time watching him rather than actually eating.

It was idiotic from his part, given how skinny he still was.

Although.... he was doing better than what his physical state would imply, which further made Grimmjow think he had shifted levels with elemental powers; metahumans were less affected by typical human issues such as hunger and sleep deprivation. Another sign Kurosaki was changing.

Eventually, the gaze aimed at him started to annoy the man.

”For fuck’s sake, don’t make it so obvious.”

He huffs out irritated, gaining a playful snicker from Ichigo.

”You used to do this a lot, so now I’m returning the favor.”

Grimmjow pauses, wondering if the bastard was guessing, or if he’d recalled something. It did not matter either way.

”At least I wasn’t so bloody obvious about it.” He grunts, trying to ignore the way the bastard’s grin grew, as he leaned his cheek against his palm.

”Well clearly you were, as I noticed it.”

Grimmjow nearly wanted to just throw the plate of food at his face, as the smug smile was getting really irritating. However, the man abruptly realized it was not the typical kind of irritation, the kind that would normally trigger a violent reaction. No, for once his brain was not edging him to smash Kurosaki’s face to the floor. Instead, he could feel a smirk appear on his face almost involuntarily.

”At least try not ta drool on yer food; I know I’m a looker, but it’s damn hard to eat watching you salivate like that.”

Ichigo’s smirk is replaced with a baffled look and eventually a glare which amused Grimmjow to no end. However, eventually the peeved stare dissolves into a laugh.

”You’re something else, I give you that.” Ichigo tells him finally with a softer smile, brushing some of his hair off his face.

He then finally focuses on his food, eating fairly ravenously like he finally realized he was hungry. Grimmjow however had lost his appetite.

Namely, he’d lost his appetite for _food_.

As Ichigo finally finishes his meal he suddenly realizes that Grimmjow was staring at him. For a second he wondered if there was something weird on his face, but then the way the man was looking at him registered. He suddenly regretted teasing the man, and his face flushed lightly as the blunet’s face twisted into a devilish smirk.

”Uh...”

Grimmjow gets up slowly, and stalks towards him, making the ginger back away in his chair lightly.

A flashback hit his brain again, he had been in a similar pinch before, except this time around did not promise violence.

A hand grasps the back of his chair beside Ichigo’s head, and the man leans closer, until he could reach the ginger’s ear.

”Ya might wanna tune down a little with that smugness, Kurosaki.”

”Oh, why is that?” Ichigo asks his voice a little breathless.

Grimmjow nips his ear lightly, making the younger male yelp in surprise, and place his hand against the man’s chest almost reflexively to push him further away, although he doesn’t do that.

”Cause it makes me wanna make you shut up.”

Grimmjow purrs at him, flicking his tongue against the spot he’d bitten, and his smirk grew as he sensed Kurosaki shudder and hold back an involuntary gasp.

Was he always this sensitive? Not that it mattered.

”I’m pretty sure that is only a temporary solution.”

Ichigo tells him with a slight playful tone as the man pulls back to look at him.

The man chuckles lowly and leans even closer, nipping his bottom lip playfully.

”Works fer me.” He informs Kurosaki casually, gaining another slight laugh from the ginger, before he mingled his fingers into the blue hair and pulled him close, pressing their lips together gently.

It did not take long for the blunet to tug him off his chair and into his hold for a deeper kiss, and Ichigo was more than happy to wrap his limbs around the man, responding to the heated gesture with equal need. Grimmjow could not help but notice that there was a desperate quality to it, as if the ginger was subconsciously expecting to be swiped away from him at any moment now, and it made the possessive side of his flare up with anger.

He growls lowly as he bites kurosaki again, making him whimper out in surprise, but just hold onto him tighter afterwards.

Once he let the ginger breathe, his face was completely flushed and he was panting, licking his lips with darkened eyes. Without a word, he picks Kurosaki off the floor and carries him to the bedroom.

 

By the time he was done, Kurosaki was resting on his side, half wrapped into the bedsheets with several marks all over his body now. He was asleep, his skin still glowing lightly reddish, his breathing evened out already. Granted, it had taken several minutes before he passed out.

Grimmjow was lying beside him, head leaning against his palm while he used his free hand to scratch and mingle his finger into the orange hair.

It was pretty clear to him why they’d done this again so soon; it was not just the pent up frustration that had finally come out and manifested itself out in the open. He could tell Kurosaki was afraid. Despite his earlier smiles and seeming pleasant mood, Grimmjow could sense the tenseness underneath the whole time, even when he kissed the blunet.

He had always been all too good at sensing even the tiniest of fraction of fear in people, and Kurosaki reeked of it right now.

What made him so anxious was the fact they had no proper plan on what to do, where to go once this place was discovered, and Grimmjow was pretty sure it would be eventually.

He was afraid of the things he still could not remember, of getting his friends hurt because of this.

He was afraid that Grimmjow would go and drop dead, like he almost did earlier, and over a year ago.

A slight whimper escaped the sleeping figure’s mouth, and Grimmjow shifts to tug him closer, so Kurosaki could feel his body heat against his back. He settled down a little, but the frown on his face didn’t disappear. The blunet could not stop but wonder; Kurosaki had perhaps been doing a bit too well. For someone who went through traumatic things that the brain decided was better to be forgotten, he had been surprisingly stable despite his initial anxiousness.

He had regained his usual sass and fire rather fast.

Something was gonna happen, aside from them being found, Grimmjow’s gut told him that, and usually when he had a gut feeling, it meant nothing good.

After a moment, Ichigo shifts around in his sleep, pressing even closer against him, head and hands resting against Grimmjow’s chest. He was trembling lightly, perhaps having another unpleasant flashback or it was just a vibe he was getting. Either way, the man huffs out a sigh and drops his arm from Ichigo’s hair, wrapping it around him while resting his head to the pillow as well now.

The ginger hums contently and cuddles even closer, the earlier trembles settling down slowly.

Grimmjow begins playing with the orange hair again at the back of Kurosaki’s neck out of reflex, sinking into his thoughts again. His hand brushes at the marks on Kurosaki’s neck; the ginger had taken off the band aid after figuring it was no longer needed.

One thing was for sure; Grimmjow could already tell from the low growl at the possessive part of his brain, the darker part of it that he knew all too well could cause trouble if he allowed it to have its way, that if someone was going to try and take Kurosaki away from him, he was not giving him up without a fight.

THAT was the true reason he'd been so reluctant to let the ginger too close, in all honesty.

Having a beehive for a brain meant that once he got attached to something, you damn well had to pry it off his dead hands to make him give up on it voluntarily, and the blunet knew all too well, that on top of all the other loopy antics his brain made him do, that trait was unhealthy as well. It was the main drive behind his more suicidical tendencies back then, after he’d lost his friends. He would not go and give up just because he had a deadly condition. Hell, losing a comrade did not actually bother him that much. It was just..... In his mangled brain, anybody he cared about, he was always highly possessive over them. That meant that having ANYONE ELSE do anything to them, even harm them - Grimmjow was not gonna lie, he had been a dick to the trio at times - hurt his arrogant, egoistical and instinctive part of his. Nobody was allowed to hurt his possessions but him, and this... this was especially true when it came to Kurosaki. This twisted, clearly an unhealthy way of thinking, it was something he always had to fight against when he got close to someone. It was not the fear of losing loved ones, despite that likely being the impression Kurosaki had gotten. He did not keep his distance from people because of that. More than anything else, he feared the immense need to own things, of people he cared about becoming things. Grimmjow always had to battle against himself to not grow such unhealthy attachments to people. He had sort of managed with Shawlong, he’d kind of failed with his three friends.

Now....despite how hard he’d tried not to, Grimmjow could tell that he was failing with Kurosaki too; all the impressions he’d felt, the offended anger over seeing him hurt so badly, his reluctance to bring Kurosaki to his friends. It was all too clear to him, that his fucking beehive of a mind had sunken it’s claws on Kurosaki, and wanted to make the ginger his and his alone. He fucking hated it. Nothing else before in his life had EVER been harder to resist, than this urge he had right now. A twisted, near animalistic urge that he knew could end up hurting Kurosaki if things would take the turn for the worse.

Had this happened earlier on, perhaps he would not have cared as much; toying with people who were infatuated with him had been a part of his job for so long that he’d grown cold to what it did to them. However, Kurosaki was not any of his marks. Kurosaki was...an equal, in a sense. That was why he had hoped beyond hope that his goddamn brain would not do this to him, not now. Of course, it did in the end. It was almost ironic in a way; that one time he did not want to have that twisted side to come out, it was trying harder than ever before.

He could not help the slightly dark grin appearing on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT 27.12.2017: I re-worded the ending as I felt it was a little clunky
> 
> Wow. That ending got darker than I expected.
> 
> So, low on action. This chapter is sort of establishing more of the background regarding to their situation, as well as setting up further conflict, namely regarding to Grimmjow's thoughts at the end, and whatever is happening with poor Ichi-berry.  
> It's starting to look like that Aizen will be the last of their problems.


	8. Internal struggles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo and Grimmjow start their journey back to Rukongai while Aizen's minions are on hot pursuit.  
> Grimmjow is also struggling with himself, not knowing if he should just go with his instincts or try to ignore them.

When Ichigo woke up, he noted Grimmjow was still asleep, arms wrapped around him tight.

It caused a warm feeling in his belly, although it couldn’t quite ward off his worries.

He shift to his back, leaning his head against the blue locks and gazes at the ceiling quietly. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that there might be only one way out of this mess. He had to go back and find out what Aizen exactly wanted from him, and put a complete stop to those plans. Based on what he could remember and what he’d learned, such a thing would not be an easy feat. He and Grimmjow likely could not do this alone.

The problem was, he had no idea whom to turn.

Sure, he could get in contact with his apparent friends in the elemental unit, but the issue with that was the fact he could not be sure the people he would talk to really were trustworthy.

While it seemed that the rat - Patros - was gone, Ichigo’s gut told him he had not been the only one who’d infiltrated them. Plus…his friends probably did not know yet that the initial spy was dead. Part of him wanted to inform them, but other part felt that perhaps it was better for them to stay on their toes, in case there was another one. The fact Ulquiorra had been able to sneak in for his personal mission, it did not paint the Guard in a positive light.

Eventually, Ichigo decides to reluctantly leave the comfort of the bed and gets up, pacing to the kitchen.

It was early morning; sky was slowly shifting from reddish to blue, as night gave away to the day. The clock showed it was 5.30 in the morning, early, but regardless the next day.

So they had slept throughout the night huh?

This also reminded Ichigo, it was going to be their third day here. Ulquiorra had warned that locating them would likely take two, so either he had overestimated his comrades, or Aizen’s minions would soon burst in from the door to capture him. The thought made Ichigo shudder, and he had to grasp the counter again as he began to feel light-headed. Images popped in his head again, about the pink haired man, and him zapping Ichigo with that device. It made his stomach turn and his mind anxious, just thinking about it. The only reason why he wasn’t freaking out on the floor was likely because Grimmjow was there.

His presence seemed to help Ichigo to remain calm.

That was the weirdest part of it, as by all means, he should have been equally scared of him, based on the memories and the indications of Grimmjow’s words. He knew Grimmjow had been violent towards him. He knew that the man had likely done similar things to him, as Szayel; tortured him with his lightning. He had likely terrorized him mentally as well.

So...why did he trust the blunet?

Why wasn’t he afraid now?

What exactly had changed during then and now?

Why didn’t Grimmjow want to just tell him everything from the start? Was it something with not wanting to overload him with memories or so?

Ichigo shakes his head, knowing that he had more important things to think about right now. As long as Grimmjow kept watch for his six, it did not matter what exactly was going on between them.

It was good to have a powerful ally on your side.

Looking around, the ginger figures he might as well make some breakfast. He noted their food supply was running low, another reason to leave soon.

By the time he was nearly done, he heard a sound from the bedroom, and footsteps heading his way.

Moments later, Ichigo felt a warm touch on his hips, and felt the blunet press his face against his neck, just nuzzling against his skin for a bit. It surprised Ichigo, as the man was not typically affectionate without a reason like this. So far, each time he had done something gentle like this, Grimmjow had done it to make him calm down. Including the last night; Ichigo had a feeling the real reason the man had brought it to the bedroom was because he had sensed the hidden anxiety beneath.

This however, this felt more genuine than anything before it, like the man had just seen him and decided he wanted to get up close and personal.

Ichigo leans back against the warmth and tilts his head against Grimmjow’s shoulder so he could look at him once he pulled his head up again.

”You won’t be getting seconds no matter how much you cuddle me; these are everything that’s left.”

Ichigo teases him light-heartedly, gaining an amused smirk from the man.

However, Ichigo could tell it was forced, and there was weight in his eyes indicating something bothered Grimmjow. Perhaps he had done this for a reason after all. He did not have time to ponder or ask what it was as Grimmjow leans closer to capture his lips for a moment, nearly making the ginger melt into a warm puddle to the floor.

Gods, why was he so gone for this crazy bastard?

Once this was over, he’d make Grimmjow tell him EVERYTHING about last year that he couldn’t remember, because he clearly had done some pretty amazing shit to have Ichigo’s thoughts about him do a complete turnaround. He cannot prevent a small mewl escaping from his lips as Grimmjow’s tongue presses against them, making the ginger shudder and press firmer against him.

”I ain’t the one who looks like a stick. Why the fuck would I need ta eat more then you?”

The man reminds him with a pointed look, his fingers tapping Ichigo’s stomach. The ginger grimaced as he looked down at himself. Yeah, he still looked a bit too skinny for comfort; it was just that... he did not feel so hungry most of the time. Likely related to whatever was happening with his elemental energy.

”Well I cannot eat anything if you don’t let me finish the food first!” Ichigo shoves him off with a laugh, pecking his cheek before continuing to cook.

Grimmjow just chuckles, walking to the couch and slumping down, clearly just to wait for him to be done. Ichigo rolls his eyes at the apparent laziness, but let it be like last time. Eventually he was done, putting up food for them both. Glancing at Grimmjow, he notes the man’s expression was still weighed with a slight frown, and Ichigo figured he’d have to talk to him; not just about what was bothering him though, as the ginger had an idea on what they could do.

The blunet seemed to sense his need to talk as after he was done eating; he leaned back on his chair and crossed his arms, watching Ichigo expectantly. The ginger pokes his food, having only eaten half of it, trying to form the right words in his head. Perhaps...he should start by asking what bothered Grimmjow first.

”Are you okay? You seem a little tense...”

The blunet snorts, then shrugs, looking aside. Okay, so he was not willing to talk about it huh?

”If it’s something you did in the past, I think it’s pretty clear I’ve forgiven you.”

Grimmjow shakes his head, and there was a hint of a smile on his lips, but it was not happy one. Almost like he’d feared he’d hear that answer from him, not actually wanting it. It confused the ginger; the atmosphere around Grimmjow was highly tense, and Ichigo had a feeling it was not just about their current tight situation. It was the same kind of feeling the ginger got from him when the man was holding something back.

Whatever it was however, it was clear he was not willing to share it, not yet. Eventually he would, as Ichigo had noted Grimmjow found it hard to keep things from him.

So… perhaps it was better to just let the cat out of the bag for now. Ichigo takes a deep breath, and prepares himself, aware that Grimmjow likely would not like what he was proposing.

”I think....we should go back to Rukongai.”

Grimmjow looks up at him baffled.

”Why the fuck should we?”

”Because.... the only way to stop this is to get to the bottom of what happened, and I think finding where I was kept is the first step to take.” Ichigo explains it as calmly as he could; he could sense the blunet was not eager to head back there

”And what if they fucking show up there and snatch ya again? No fucking way we are doing that! Besides, ya already told yer friends to check it out.”

”I know! I just....I hate just twiddling my thumbs like this.” The ginger informs him sternly.

Grimmjow snorts, clearly not surprised by his answer. ”Sometimes ya should fucking try it; you’ve almost gotten yourself killed several times because of that inability to stay back.”

”Would you back down if you were in my situation, and hide your tail like a coward?”

Ichigo questions him with a sharp tone, and the cabin went quiet. The ginger suddenly felt the atmosphere drop, as Grimmjow remains quiet for a long moment. Shit, perhaps that was the wrong choice of words, especially when Grimmjow already seemed to be on the edge for some reason. His body tensed again, like it had back in the mansion when Grimmjow was drunk; a muscle memory, expecting the blunet to get violent.

”And what if they catch you again, then what?” Grimmjow asks quietly instead, not looking at him as he spoke.

”They won’t. You’ll protect me if you have to, right?” Ichigo comments softly, honestly understanding why the man was reluctant to do this. He was worried, even if he did not admit it. Grimmjow lets out a low, slightly unsteady chuckle, before he reaches for Ichigo’s hand on the table and caresses his knuckles with his thumb.

”Goin’ there, we might end up dealin’ with fuckers who are stronger than me.” He states, keeping his gaze at their hands.

His tone was bitter.

”That might be true, but my friends might be there too...”

”I DON’T fucking care!”

Grimmjow suddenly snaps at him, his hand grasping Ichigo’s wrist almost painfully tight, making the ginger look up at him surprised. While his body had its reactions to Grimmjow’s mood, he did not actually believe he’d go and beat him up, not anymore.

For a second though, Ichigo felt perhaps his intuition was wrong.

Except, nothing happens as he just glares at the ginger and holds his wrist firmly, although the grip was no longer painfully tight. It seemed that the second his brain had realized the hold was actually likely to cause an injury or a bruise, it made Grimmjow loosen his hold. Ichigo wondered if he did it knowingly, or if it was subconscious.

”They’re useless. Worthless, they searched for you for MONTHS yet I was the one who found you! They’ll just get in the way like the weak pieces of shit they are.” The venom on Grimmjow’s tone was surprising. Sure, based on what he recalled and had learned so far, the blunet and his friends weren’t the biggest fans of each other, but Grimmjow’s intense tone made it sound like he was personally offended that Ichigo thought his friends could be of help.

”Maybe you don’t care or trust them, but I do.”

Suddenly, Grimmjow let’s go of his arm and grabs his collar, tugging him off his chair, until they were face to face. His gaze was positively burning.

” _They couldn’t even protect you from me back then._ What the hell makes you think they could be any more of help now?”

The blunet snarls at Ichigo with a low tone, his eyes burning a hole through his skull. His voice had switched from venomous to bitter, like he did not like mentioning the fact he’d been pretty shitty towards the ginger in the past.

Why was he suddenly in such a bad mood? Had something happened at night that Ichigo was not aware of?

Or....was this again just his brain making him overreact to his own emotional state?

Ichigo bites his lip, and then grasps the hand holding his collar, managing to coax it to release him. He keeps eye contact this whole time he did so, noting that perhaps it was the case; there was a hint of internal struggle in Grimmjow’s eyes. It was again the feeling of him holding back something. Ichigo lifts the hand he was still holding, and kisses his palm gently, before covering it with his both hands.

He noted that a tiny bit of the pressure on Grimmjow’s aura dissipates, and his eyes drift down to look at their joined hands almost involuntarily.

”I know you hate the idea, but we cannot stay here for much longer. They’ll find us.”

Grimmjow looks up at him with a deep frown on his face.

”Why would goin’ to fucking Rukongai be better?”

”Because maybe then we find out something about what happened. Besides, would they expect us to go back where we came from?”

Grimmjow was about to yet again point out that he had already asked his friends to check the town out, but then the second part hit him, and admittedly it made sense. They probably would not expect him to backtrack like that. However, it was still risky, as Rukongai was the place where Kurosaki was kept, and therefore Szayel was there.

_Szayel._

Grimmjow felt a dark grin wanting to creep on his face, as he thought about the pink haired bastard. Oh, once he’d get his hands on that fucker... he’ll make him WISH he was dead.

”Grimm?”

Ichigo’s hesitant tone indicated that his expression might have betrayed his thoughts after all, and the man shakes his head and rubs his eyes to clear the murder out of his brain for now.

”I suppose that makes sense. But we can’t just show up there like this. M’ gonna be recognized and so will you with your bright ass hair.”

”So we have to disguise ourselves? No problem.”

”There’s also the factor that this mountain area is near Hueco Mundo, as well as relatively close ta the mansion you burned down; the place is probably filled with Aizen’s goons.”

Ichigo bites his lip as he understood the problem; so far they had not been found, but once they’d leave the cabin, the risk would be far greater.

”Since Hueco Mundo is your home....do you have an idea how we can get back to the city? Reaching Rukongai unnoticed is also another issue.”

Grimmjow paces to the window and just gazes the scenery for a moment. He did know the mountain area pretty well honestly, as he used to run around it as a kid, and even later when adult. Good place ta dump bodies as almost no one came to the mountainside nowadays. Not that he had often left corpses behind him, usually it was all ashes. He shakes his head, forcing his mind to focus yet again, instead of dwelling in his violent past.

Right.... there was this old mine-shaft that led somewhere near the city edge that could be accessed nearby if he recognized the area correctly.

He could not recall seeing this cabin here back then, which meant it had been built here recently. How the hell had the Guard been able to build a fucking safe-house unnoticed near the crime-ridden city, he had no fucking clue. It made his paranoid side jumpy.

”Grimm?”

Ichigo places a hand on his shoulder, almost making the man jump in surprise. For a moment they gaze at each other quietly, the brown eyes hopeful.

Ah, fucking hell; this stubborn bastard would be the death of him someday, Grimmjow could swear. It would be ironic too, given Kurosaki had also saved his life earlier. The thought was almost so hilarious, that he could get behind an ironic death like that.

”Yeah, I do have an idea.” The man finally states rubbing his eyes with a sigh.

”I don’t know exactly how we’ll get out of Hueco Mundo secretly though, only how to get down there unnoticed.”

”That’s a start.”

 

They spend the next hour or two checking the place for supplies, as well as better clothing for Ichigo as he’d been travelling most of the journey with no proper outdoor clothing and shitty old shoes. He was more than happy to finally tug on a proper jacket, as well as proper shoes. Grimmjow had changed from his hoodie as well, tugging on a lighter brown pilot jacket he’d found from the clothing stock pile. Ichigo had to look away before he’d be stuck staring for a while, as the jacket really fit him. He also tugged on his beanie again to hide his blue hair.

”Ya gotta hide that as well.”

The man informs him, nodding at his bright orange locks. Ichigo tugs on a hat, as well as pulling the hood of his jacket over his head.

”Better?”

”Well ya already don’t listen to me so...covering yer ears won’t change a fucking thing.”

Ichigo rolls his eyes, kind of glad about the light-hearted jabbing; he was so nervous going out there honestly.

”Let’s move before the daylight hits properly; it’s harder fer them to spot us while it’s still dark.”

Grimmjow tells him as he heads towards the door, bag over his shoulder. Ichigo just nods at the man and checks around the cabin one last time before following him out.

 

 

 

 

”Where are you going?”

Rukia almost jumps, turning to look at Renji at the Guard parking lot.

She had attempted to sneak out without anyone noticing, but now the redhead had caught her, and was currently looking at the woman confused.

”I uh, wanted to go check on something; I think I got a clue somewhere in my papers I left at home.”

Renji walks to her, still looking confused.

”Why are you sneaking around then? You could have just asked someone to bring them for you.”

”Yes, well, I’d rather look through them myself ASAP.”

Rukia tells him with a shrug, watching the redhead cautiously. Was this really Renji, or perhaps the rat pretending to be him? Harribel had not given them any further detail about the spy, so she could not be sure if it would be someone she knew, or if someone was pretending to be somebody she knew.

”....Are you worried it’s the spy?”

Renji questions quietly, looking at her with a frown.

Rukia glances around, noting they were alone.

”Look, Rukia it IS me.” The man tells him, also glancing around now suspicious.

He’d guessed her train of thought after noticing how suspiciously she was looking at him.

”Prove it.”

”The entrance we used to enter the mansion, before we got separated from Ichigo. I can tell its location.”

”Aizen’s minions would know about it too.”

”But they would not know that WE came from there originally.”

Good point.

Rukia relaxes visibly and sighs, brushing her hair.

”I wish Harribel could have gotten more precise info about the spy.”

Renji had to agree.

”She did say that he has not contacted her in a while.”

”I just hope Ichigo is okay...” the raven haired girl mutters out, turning to open the car door.

Without a word, Renji walks to the other side and they enter together, driving off the parking lot.

”So where are we going exactly? This is a stake-out car for one, which made me doubt you’d be going to get some files.”

”Inoue got a call from Ichigo, and she told me he had asked us to check Rukongai as apparently Jeagerjaquez found him from there.”

Renji’s eyes widen, and then he nods slightly.

”We might have to disguise ourselves before we go there. We don’t want the bad guys spot us.” Rukia nods, figuring they had to stop by her house after all.

Little did the two know that somebody was watching them.

 

 

 

 

They had reached the deeper part of the forest, when Grimmjow suddenly tugs him into hiding behind nearby rocks.

A second later, he could tell why, as two men appear, seemingly scanning the area as if looking for something. Ichigo could tell from the outfits that they were Aizen’s men. Grimmjow pulled him close, following the two men intently with his eyes. Based on the slight sparkling around his hand, the man was clearly ready to take them out.

”If we do that, they’ll be alerted by our presence.”

Ichigo whispers to him, gaining a slightly mischievous smirk in return.

”Ya seem ta forget what my job was under Aizen.”

Ichigo opens his mouth to remind the man that he could not really remember much in general, but before he could, Grimmjow slips away from him, stealthily moving closer to the two without them noticing. He looked almost like a predator on a hunt.

The two men stop, and then, before either of them can react, he suddenly teleports right in front of them, grabbing their heads and seemingly zapping them, given the way their bodies convulsed.

What was different than usual however was the fact Ichigo saw no lightning; he could not even hear anything.

Second later, the two were on the ground, unmoving. Grimmjow gestures him to get out of hiding, and Ichigo sneaks to him, looking at the two men in slight shock.

”What did you do?”

”Y know, I used ta be an assassin.”

Grimmjow informs him, his blue eyes shining with slight twisted excitement.

Ichigo looks up at him, brown eyes wide.

”....What did you do?” He asks again, like he was a damn parrot.

”Well, I could have given a shock that stops their hearts, but I figured you’d bitch at me for that, so I just knocked them out for a long period.”

Ichigo looks at the two men, then back at Grimmjow again, his face pale.

”...I am starting to see why so many people are so afraid of you. Your power is...remarkable.” He finally admits. So far Ichigo had mainly seen Grimmjow use it in grand scale, but it was clear he was good at more refined abilities as well.

He had not thought much of it, but seeing now how Grimmjow was able to sneak kill you with a touch if he wanted… it added a bit more unnerving twist to their intimacy.

”Yeah, well, I was one of the strongest Aizen got. Trust me, the guys he still got there are true beasts, you already saw how much of a pain in the ass Ulquiorra was, and that was just grazing the surface.” Grimmjow shrugs, nodding towards a pathway and walking towards it.

Ichigo follows him quickly, still a bit pale. To be able to take out somebody that swiftly and silently, let alone make it look like a heart attack as Grimmjow’s words had implied...

Suddenly, the blunet grabs his hand and makes Ichigo look up at him. The blue eyes were in a deep frown, and he squeezes Ichigo’s hand reassuringly.

”Never, not with you.” He says simply, gazing into the slightly scared brown eyes for a moment.

It was clear that revealing this new detail of his power freaked Kurosaki out for some reason. Perhaps he had never truly realized just how good Grimmjow was with his power, as he could not recall the ginger be this unnerved when he’d last time revealed the more precise methods he could use. Then again, the stuff he had shown back then had been gentler, and his memory was not shaped like Swiss cheese.

After a moment, Ichigo swallows down and nods, squeezing his hand back.

The two continue to head towards where Grimmjow was leading them, and it was getting brighter by the minute. The good thing was the weather was cloudy so it was still relatively dim outside. They bypass another patrol going down the nearby path, and Grimmjow leads Ichigo trough the rockiest bits of the forest, which was really hard to traverse. It was a miracle he did not stumble and break his leg while climbing those rocks. Then again, each time he slipped, Grimmjow was there to grab him and help him to find his balance.

Eventually Ichigo sees where the blunet was leading them; they reached an old mine-entrance, which led deeper into the mountain.

It was covered in moss and the wooden gate was rotten, not to mention the entrance itself was partially blocked by a rockslide.

”That’s our way down?” Ichigo asks, feeling uneasy. He did not like the idea of going somewhere underground, where it was dark and narrow.

”Yeah. I know the way through, just stick close by and don’t wander off or the place might collapse on you.”

Grimmjow tells him as he breaks the rest of the gate and enters through the narrow entrance into the darkness. Ichigo swallows down and takes a step closer, but he could not bring himself to enter. Then, the blunet offers his hand to the ginger wordlessly. After a moment, he reaches for the hand and allows Grimmjow to lead him within the cave. It was so dark there, and damp and it smelt...old.

Ichigo clung onto his arm now, not wanting to get lost in the tunnels.

”Light a fire will ya?” Grimmjow tells him simply.

He could have used his own lightning, but it was a little harder to keep it stable, so why bother when you had something easier to do it. After a moment, a warm orange glow lit up their surroundings. There wasn’t much to see, other than rocks everywhere, and old mining tools here and there.

”Why was this place abandoned?”

”Too expensive ta run. Remember that area with all those abandoned houses? Those used ta belong to the miners who lived here. After this place was shut down, they had to move away.”

Ichigo looks around a bit more curiously now, but he still held onto Grimmjow’s hand, not wanting to get lost.

There was a map on one wall of a larger room they enter into, and Ichigo cannot stop his curiosity. He walks to it and looks trough, trying to make out where they were.

”It’s pretty big.”

He comments after seeing just how vast the amount of tunnels was.

”Yeah. This place actually connects to Aizen’s mansion.” Ichigo whips around, looking at Grimmjow surprised.

The man paces to him, hands in his pockets, and taps one of the tunnels.

”That one. T’was connected to the secret tunnels fer his mansion that I used last time to get there.”

”....If that is true, is it really safe for us to...” The blue eyes glance at him.

”The mansion was abandoned after the shit went down. No one’s there.”

Ichigo looks at him skeptic, but decides not to argue about it. He could not be sure that Grimmjow was right, but he could not prove he was wrong either.

”...So where are we going exactly?”

Grimmjow looks around the map for a bit, and then taps at one of the pathways.

”That one. It ends up at the western side of Hueco Mundo, near the industrial area - the active one, not the ruins from before - we should be able to hop on a train to get to Rukongai there.”

Ichigo nods after a moment.

They continue walking, and Ichigo could not stop but note how confident Grimmjow was with his steps, like he innately knew where he was going.

Before he could even voice out his thoughts however, Grimmjow seems to be able to read his thoughts as he answers the unsaid question.

”Remember when I said this was connected ta the mansion? Aizen used this abandoned mine as a dumping ground for bodies. Or if he needed Intel dug out from them, this is where they were brought.”

Ichigo goes quiet, biting his lip in his thoughts for a moment. His brown eyes kept glancing at the man uneasily again.

”Yes. I was one of those who did the digging.” Grimmjow admits with a neutral voice, keeping his gaze up ahead. He could still recall the way those unfortunate folks to end up here tended to beg or scream, up until they dropped dead.

Usually when you were brought here, you would not come back out.

It was brutal and sadistic in every possible way, but that’s how Aizen’s business worked. The crazy bastard would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, and he always had those to do his dirty work for him.

”....How many....down here. How many did you...?”

”Why do you wanna know?”

Grimmjow stops and looks down at him, his eyes glowing in the dim orange light of Ichigo’s flame. It was flickering lightly, indicating just how nervous Kurosaki was right now. The ginger remains quiet, as if he did not know himself.

”......Six. Four were some thugs Aizen was disappointed with, one was a spy from the guard - ya didn’t know ’im, it was before ya joined if I got your joining date right - and the last one...”

Ichigo gazes up at him, noting the way Grimmjow went quiet abruptly, turning his gaze away.

”....Was it perhaps someone you regret?” Ichigo questions, noticing how tense he was suddenly.

Grimmjow shakes his head, but not in a denying manner. He paces a bit further away for a moment to rub his eyes, as if he was not sure how to say this.

”....It was this kid, barely eighteen.”

He finally admits, shocking Ichigo so bad that his light snuffs out for a brief second, before he lights it up again. Grimmjow was avoiding his gaze, face in a deep frown. ”His name was Wonderweiss or some shit. His family had crossed Aizen, so...he kidnapped the little shit to punish them.”

The blunet mutters out, his gaze slightly distant now.

”Aizen wanted ta record it, send the clip ta his parents to show what happens if they cross him.”

Ichigo felt his stomach twist; what kind of monster would do that?

”.....That’s...beyond horrible.” Ichigo finally whispers out, not knowing what else to say.

He could only imagine what that poor kid had gone through in this dark cave. Except.... Grimmjow was the one telling this, so...

”.....Aizen made you do it, didn’t he?”

Grimmjow finally lifts his gaze to look at him directly. His expression was completely neutral, void of emotion, but Ichigo could tell; for a man who usually did not make excuses, a man who stood behind even his most vile actions, it was clear this was something he had _not_ wanted to do.

”I don’t mind fucking with my prey, putting people down a peck or two if they think they’re stronger than me. Hell, I don’t mind terrorizing those weaker than me, but...” The blunet huffs and shakes his head, bit of familiar anger rising to the surface.

”I don’t wanna do it for no particular reason; not to someone who can’t even defend themselves. The kid never did anything; his parents were the ones that fucked up.”

Grimmjow was not sure why the hell did he tell this to Kurosaki. If anything, he was likely making himself either sound like a monster - which he was, to be fair - or like he was making excuses, something he hated.

Perhaps that was the point.

Maybe he was trying to still push Kurosaki away, despite his possessive part already attaching itself to the ginger.

”....did the kid die?”

Ichigo asks softly, his voice so quiet it almost made it seem like he was afraid to ask.

Perhaps he was, Grimmjow would not have blamed him.

”Yeah. His body was buried here somewhere. I don’t know where as Szayel was the one to...do the cleanup so to say.” Grimmjow mutters, gazing aside and rubbing his wrist.

Ichigo did not know what to say. What he heard was beyond horrible and vile in every way you could think of. Yet, he did not feel even the slightest bit of disgust towards _Grimmjow_ for his actions. If anything, he felt sorry that the man had been forced to do something he clearly hadn't wanted to.

”You were following orders.”

The blunet snorts, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

”That’s an excuse if I’ve ever heard any.”

Ichigo could not stop but smile a bit, though his smile was sad. After a moment, he walks to Grimmjow and places a hand to his cheek hesitantly. As the man finally looks up at him, his eyes were weighed down again. Thinking back on this memory, he clearly hated it.

”We cannot change the past, but... you are working on making amends for the future.” Ichigo tells him encouragingly, and Grimmjow wanted to laugh.

It would have likely come off as hysteric and unstable if he did right now, though.

He could not believe this stubborn shithead.

He’d just revealed to Ichigo one of his darkest secrets that Grimmjow HATED remembering, the kind that should have pushed anyone away from him. Yet, here he was, stuck with a ginger moron who seemed ready to forgive him no matter what. He hated it, hated when it happened, especially if he felt his possessive side to take a hold of him when it came to the person.

It would be easier to fucking resist if Kurosaki would actually NOT cut him some slack like this.

”....what would have he done if you refused?”

”Even if he might’ve punished me pretty bad fer it, it don’t make it any better Kurosaki, stop trying to give me excuses!” Grimmjow snaps at him, making the ginger back away lightly, and his flame flickering and threatening to snuff out again.

Ichigo remains quiet, just gazes at him with that sad look, and holy fuck, he had not felt the urge to punch this bastard in a long time, but right now, he was itching to do it.

_Stop looking at me like that, he thought._

_Stop looking at me like you think I actually deserve forgiveness._

_Because I don’t._

The blunet shakes his head and turns around, heading further in to the darkness, forcing Ichigo to follow him soon enough as to not get lost.

As Grimmjow felt his hand creep around his arm again, the blunet almost wished that Ulquiorra would just show up in Rukongai and put him out of his misery.

He did not fucking deserve any of what Kurosaki was giving him, and he could not stop himself from taking it.

 

 

”Szayel san! Two of your men were found unconscious on the forest floor!”

The pink haired man lifts eyebrow, surprised at first, but once he sees the bodies he realizes what had happened. He had forgotten that the brute was also an assassin. While he preferred making a lot of noise, Jeagerjaquez was more than capable of stealth-kills, and looking around, this place was basically his home turf.

Szayel could recall quite a few kills he’d done in this area, toying with his prey before frying them to ashes. Which meant...

”I see. So that’s where they are headed.”

His expression grows into a more gleeful one, and he holds his chin, looking around the surroundings. He began to get the picture of what was going on. It was the old mine. There was an entrance nearby. Jeagerjaquez was likely using the passageways to go somewhere, but where exactly? There were several exits to that underground maze, and he could be heading for any of them.

As he goes through all the possible routes in his mind, two most likely candidates came into mind.

One was the route that led to the now abandoned mansion. It was not that likely, as given the chaos he had caused last time, that exit was likely blocked. That left him with the one that led to the still active industrial area of Hueco Mundo. It was far away enough from the inner city where Aizen’s grip was the strongest, and also had a road nearby that led out of the city.

”What shall we do, Szayel-san?”

One of his minions asks, and the pink haired scientist turns to look at him with a smirk.

”Let’s head back to Hueco Mundo. I believe I know where the kitty is taking his little toy.”

Green eyes watched the situation from a distance, before disappearing into the shadows.

 

 

 

They had been walking in the darkness for what felt like hours.

After sharing the latest dark bit of his past life, Grimmjow had gone extremely quiet and tense, which Ichigo did not blame him for. It had seemed like a very uneasy memory to think back on, on top of everything else the man had gone through during his life. It was no wonder he was a little unstable at times. Ichigo figured he would’ve gone a little crazy from it all even without the lightning elemental side effects.

Again, part of him wondered just why exactly he felt trust towards Grimmjow, when every bit he revealed about himself sounded like Ichigo definitely should not.

The man had apparently messed with his friends, injured some of them, he had beaten Ichigo up badly too - including kicked him in the crotch - and he had killed several people in the past, including a young boy, even if he regretted that one.

”Why?”

Ichigo doesn’t realize he had said that out loud, not until he feels the blue eyes look at him baffled. The ginger bites his lip, and then decides to test the ice.

”All these things you’ve told me... why is it, that I still seem to trust you?”

Grimmjow stares at him for a long moment.

”Hell if I know. I keep questioning it every day.”

”But...there has to be something you did, that made me feel this way.” Ichigo insists, gaining an annoyed huff from the man.

”I don’t know! I don’t know why you care, why you kept caring! I never gave you a reason to!” Grimmjow tells him harshly, shaking his arm off Ichigo’s hold as they enter a larger room again, and he takes an inventory on the tunnels to figure out which one to go now.

”Well you clearly did.” Ichigo tells him, not liking how Grimmjow’s mood had done complete turnaround from that morning’s first moments.

He was on the edge again; seemingly ready to jump at any enemy that could come in their way.

”All I did was almost die, and you fer some reason decided to save my sorry ass.” Grimmjow informs him crudely, having figured out which tunnel to go to. He nods towards it without further ado, and Ichigo follows him there with his light, face still in a frown.

Ichigo could kind of see that; he felt in his heart he was the kind of person who could not stand seeing anyone die, not if he could prevent it.

Still though, it did not explain last night, or the time before it, or any of those moments for that matter.

”So are you saying I’m only doing this out of pity towards you?”

Grimmjow turns around abruptly, glaring down at him with the most intense glare yet.

”Maybe. At least at first. But now it seems yer too dumb to figure out what’s good fer you.”

Ichigo began to regret asking about this, as it was clear the story about Wonderweiss had seriously pissed him off, and continuing to ask him these questions clearly just made his anger worse. Ichigo could even see bits of lightning dance around him again, a clear sign he was highly upset. Regardless of that however, there was one question that burned in his mind, and he could not stop himself from voicing it out.

”Why are you so scared of the thought of someone loving you?”

That clearly makes Grimmjow’s mind pause on its tracks, as for a moment he just stares at Ichigo with a blank look.

He was clearly taken by surprise by that question and had no clue how to answer.

”Is it because in the past, you’ve lost them? So you don’t want to go through that again?”

”I don’t fucking get WHY you’d love someone like me!”

Grimmjow suddenly spats back at him, taking a step closer. Why was it that he always had to respond to difficult questions with anger? It was frustrating.

Why couldn’t the blunet just be truly honest and tell him exactly what he thought?

”That’s what I am trying to understand! By all the stories you’ve told me, I shouldn’t, but I...”

Grimmjow grabs his jaw, covering his mouth with his hand so he could not finish.

”Don’t. Just don’t. You’ll regret it.” Grimmjow warns him with a serious tone.

Despite all the obvious signs that indicated a ridiculous level of possessiveness towards Kurosaki, he was still fighting against it. He was still trying to get Kurosaki to fucking GET a grip and ditch his ass. He wanted to have this ginger all for himself so bad that he KNEW it was unhealthy. 

Even now when he was saying all these things, trying his hardest to make that warm undertone in Kurosaki’s eyes to go away, his other side was growling in protest, thinking he was making a mistake for even attempting to push away something he’d already claimed for himself. Grimmjow hated it. He hated that he cared enough to fight against himself, that he had to fight in the first place. 

.............Why the hell couldn’t the fucking world just give him a break for once and let him care for something without any sort of craziness added to the mix? 

Firmly, Ichigo grasps his hand and forces it off his face, gasping for air.

”Then give me an actual reason not to. That story did not really do it for me, because it sounds almost like you were forced to do it.” He tells the man sternly, his jaw hurting still from the strong grip from earlier.

This time, Grimmjow laughed, and he sounded about as crazy as he’d expected, startling the younger man.

”If the stuff I’ve told and shown you won’t, then nothing fucking will!” He finally growls at Kurosaki, who just crosses his arms, looking at the man determined.

Why was this little shit so fucking calm?

He was stuck in the underground with a man he KNEW was bloody dangerous and unstable, he had gone through bad shit to the point his brain locked the memories away, yet he STILL stood there unwavering, like he thought he was safe around Grimmjow. The kicker about the whole fucking thing, it was the fact that he WAS safe, relatively speaking.

Even with all this anger and frustration boiling in him, Grimmjow knew all too well he was past the point of being able to actually harm him.

He _hated_ him, hated this little shit.

He had thought of this before, but now it really hit home.

Grimmjow could not pinpoint exactly when things had shifted from casual tension between them to something dangerously serious, but it had.

He hated it, how much he loved this stubborn, reckless little shit, because Grimmjow knew better than anyone, that his love had never been healthy to anyone.

Not his mum, his caretaker nor his friends.

Back when it had still been pure, it had been torn from him by his own hands. After it had been tainted by his insanity, things still got ripped away from him.

 _Every single goddamn thing_ he ever loved, he also destroyed.

Grimmjow was tired of it.

”....Let’s just go. If we stay in this goddamn tunnel for any longer, I’m gonna flip my shit, worse than I have already.”

He finally manages to utter out and turn, needing to get into the fresh air ASAP, before his head burst from all the overwhelming shit he was feeling right now. For once, Kurosaki kept his mouth shut and just followed him, likely coming to the conclusion that he was too close to breaking point right now, so it was better to just do as he said instead of triggering the explosion.

 

 

 

Ulquiorra watched from shadows, as Szayel prepared his trap for Kurosaki and Grimmjow.

Part of him wondered if he should warn the two about the impending doom, he knew exactly where they were in the tunnels after all thanks to his abilities, but a bigger part of him knew it would be pointless.

Grimmjow would confront Szayel regardless, for what he’d done to the blunet’s latest possession, and it did not matter if he did it now, or later.

The raven haired male knew all too well, that this would end in bloodshed somehow.

It always did.

Each time something that Grimmjow managed to cherish in his unstable mind would be somehow harmed or injured - by someone other than him - he’d take brutal revenge on them.

He had attacked Aizen and his followers for killing his underlings.

He had gone after Mallia for her part in Shawlong’s death.

He had completely destroyed his father for making him accidentally slay that one person that had loved him unconditionally as a child.

Ulquiorra knew all too well, from experience, that he would go after Szayel for personal revenge, because the man dared to touch and take away his Kurosaki. Perhaps, this case was probably the worst since his mother’s demise, as Ulquiorra had not sensed this much turmoil from him ever before.

He had gotten no order from Aizen to interfere yet and deal with Grimmjow himself, but more and more it began to look like he might have to.

Grimmjow was getting more and more unstable by the minute. Even his overload from a year ago had not caused such chaos in the man's mind. 

A wild beast, tugging on its leash, ready for bloodshed.

The curious thing was though....... the beast seemed to be resisting his urges somewhat, for the sake of very person he wished to take revenge for.

Ulquiorra had never seen Grimmjow struggle against his instincts for murder this much.

It made him wonder.

Perhaps, his emotions towards Kurosaki Ichigo were purer than he initially thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter down.  
> This one really takes a peek into Grimmjow's head, and the reason is to show that, make no mistake, while he has been relatively chill with Ichigo, he is STILL an unstable individual, has always been. The reason why he's good at hiding most of it, is because Grimmjow is aware of how fucked up his brain is. 
> 
> The next chapter will let Ichigo shine, I can promise you that.


	9. Past ghosts and Second Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the claustrophobic mine, our duo travels trough an industrial area, and Ichigo learns new tricks, as well as gets yet another insight from his companion regarding to the two of them.

Ichigo did not know how long they had traversed trough the dark tunnels, but it felt like forever.

After Grimmjow’s earlier outburst they both had turned quiet, with Ichigo lighting their way while Grimmjow led them through the dark, claustrophobic pathways. At times they had to bend their heads as the roof was so low. Other times he almost stumbled to rocks on the way, once nearly hitting Grimmjow’s back with the flame in his hand. The blunet had said nothing, just tugged him back up on his feet before continuing to walk.

The atmosphere around them was tense, and it was making Ichigo feel even colder than he was, almost if his own energy was reacting to his uneasy emotional state.

Perhaps it was, given his flame kept flickering, threatening to go out.

About the time they reached another wider space within the route, Ichigo had to sit down to the ground as he felt dizzy; the air in the mine was not the greatest.

”The fuck’s with you now?” Grimmow mutters irritated as he crouches next to Ichigo, staring at him through the darkness with a miffed look.

”I’m fine; just...let me catch my breath.” The ginger tells him with a breathless voice, gaining a snort from the man.

He should not be surprised really, the air quality could be shit in here and he DID make Kurosaki use up his energy as well as the air around them by holding up the flame.

”Put the flame out, t’s eating what little air there is around here, let alone yer own power.”

Ichigo was not keen on doing so, but he follows the order anyway, bathing them in darkness. For a while all he could see was a pair of blue eyes, gazing at him from the darkness. Then, something blue appears between them, and Ichigo realizes there was a small glowing ball of electricity on Grimmjow’s hand.

”Won’t that do it as well...?”

”Nah. I’m just controlling the aspect of light from my element right now. Basic elemental stuff, even a middle-class should be able to do this too.”

It was a clear jab at Ichigo’s current inability to really control his abilities properly.

The ginger had no clue if he could have done something like that instead of lighting up a basic flame, but it did not matter at this point.

”If it’s that easy, why did you make ME be the torch this whole time?” Ichigo complains to him, gaining an irritated glare from his companion.

”It ain’t as easy as it looks; this fucking thing wants to constantly discharge so I hafta focus like crazy to keep it stable.”

Ichigo says nothing to that just closes his eyes and breathes evenly for a moment. It probably did not help much in this place, but it wasn’t like there was anything else they could do; all the equipment in this place was broken so even if he’d try to find some sort of gas mask or so for Kurosaki, it would not work. Good thing was, they were getting close to the exit if his memory served him right.

They’d have to move soon, before Szayel would catch up to them or some shit like that, so letting Kurosaki rest for long was not an option.

Part of him wanted to just go and face the pink haired nut-job, rip him to pieces for what he did to Kurosaki. However, at the moment he was still able to hold back that side of his with the more rational part. It would be a stupid idea to charge at Szayel blindly like that; while Grimmjow was considered at least twice as strong as the scientist wacko, the man always had tricks up his sleeves. Even the strongest of them had to be careful when dealing with Szayel and his crazy scientist antics.

After a moment, Kurosaki seems to have gathered enough strength as he scrambles to his feet. Taking one last, stabilizing breath, the brown eyes look up at him; they looked weird under his blue light, too cold for Kurosaki.

”Where to?”

He nods towards the left side tunnel.

”We’re almost there, though ya might wanna watch yer step as that last bit is tricky.”

 

Grimmjow had not been kidding when he said the last bit of the route was difficult; at times they had to squeeze through very narrow spaces as the tunnel had half collapsed. Other times there was a wall they had to climb as the ladder had either rotted away, or broken to several pieces. It was very claustrophobic, and Ichigo could feel his heartbeat rise steadily the further they ventured in this tight space.

Grimmjow had not said anything about his slightly anxious aura, but it was starting to annoy him.

”Stop bein’ so fucking nervous. Freaking out in this place will just make the shit much worse.”

Ichigo turns his head to glare at the man.

”Not everybody is so used to traversing tight and dark spaces like you, Jeagerjaquez.”

Oh, so now they went into surname territory huh? Kurosaki had to be pretty frustrated with him to drop the sickly affectionate way he’d kept shortening his name lately. He had not said anything about the habit really despite it sounding overly sappy, because yet again the possessive part of his brain had liked it way too much.

The blunet stops and paces closer, until Ichigo is forced to back against a wall.

In the darkness of their surroundings, all he could see for a moment was Grimmjow, and the way his blue light lit up the man’s face in a slightly creepy manner given the angle.

”Whenever m’ used to this shit or not, it don’t mean I like it either. I just don’t start panicking needlessly about it.”

Ichigo looks up into those piercing blue eyes; the light emitting from Grimmjow’s orb of contained electricity made them appear even sharper than normal, wiping away any bit of warmth he might have seen in them earlier on.

”I am not. Just because I might feel anxious, it doesn’t mean I am not aware of the need of staying calm right now.”

For a moment they remain quiet, surrounded by the eerie, pitch black silence of the mine. The only thing Ichigo could really hear was his own breathing and heartbeat. The blunet examines him quietly, once again feeling slight frustration rise within him; he had basically trapped this fucker between the rocks and himself, he was holding a ball of lightning that COULD at least injure Kurosaki real bad if he willed it, but once again, there was no sign of fear.

”You’re a fucking dumbass.”

Ichigo blinks confused, as that insult had come completely out of blue, and it did not seem to relate on what they were discussing about at all.

”What the hell do you mean now?”

The blunet leans closer, placing a hand above Ichigo’s head, until there were mere inches of space between them. Ichigo backs away against the wall lightly, though only to void touching the blue orb on Grimmjow’s hand; he did not move his gaze away.

”You know what I mean.” Grimmjow states quietly, just examining his face with a blank look.

”Could you for once be clear about this, instead of talking cryptic? If it’s something I should remember...”

”It’s common fucking sense.”

Grimmjow grunts at him and moves away, heading deeper into the darkness, forcing Ichigo to follow after a moment as the light nearly disappeared from sight.

They walk in silence for a long moment, as the ginger attempts to understand what Grimmjow was trying to tell him. He had no exact clue, as the comment had come seemingly out of nowhere. As more time passed, Ichigo kept glancing at the man. The air was getting clearer slowly, indicating they were approaching some sort of exit.

”How long?”

Ichigo manages to ask eventually, his voice quiet.

Grimmjow was silent for so long Ichigo thought he had not heard him. Eventually however, a gruff tone breaks the silence.

”Almost there.”

Ichigo just nods at that, and soon enough, he could note that the way ahead was slowly getting brighter. As they enter into a larger cave, Ichigo could see the way out. However, he is stopped by Grimmjow who suddenly drags him behind some stones, scanning the surroundings with a sharp glare.

”What’s wrong?”

Ichigo asks with a whisper, noting the man was holding him close almost protectively, like he had in the forest earlier when they ran into those two. It seemed he was not angry enough to stop himself from doing that.

”Someone’s here. I can sense an elemental presence.”

”How do you do that?”

Grimmjow looks down at him almost baffled.

”The hell you mean how? All elementals can sense other elementals.”

Ichigo just looks at him with that same confused look, making the man curse quietly.

”I guess you forgot you have ability like that. I’m pretty sure you’ve been using it already though, as it’s automatic unless you purposefully turn it off.”

Ichigo frowns, and then considers it for a bit; yeah, the tingling sensation he got from Grimmjow when he was radiating his energy, which had to be what the blunet was referring to. Ichigo had thought it was just a figurative sensation, his mind making things up and reacting to what he saw visually from Grimmjow’s mood. So it had been more than that huh?

”Where is this elemental?”

Grimmjow shakes his head, looking around in the large cave they were in. It had an elevator that led further down the mine, as well as some old carts, broken down machinery that operated the lift, and some sort of living quarter. There was also stairs leading to some sort of bridge that run alongside the wall, leading into other tunnels. Someone was there, more than just one person; they were all relatively weak compared to him, or even Kurosaki, but he could not spot them exactly or pinpoint their location with his elemental senses; the bastards were clearly trying to hide themselves.

”Fuck. This must mean Szayel figured out where we were going and got here before us.”

The man mutters under his breath, and he could feel the ginger in his hold tense a little.

”You think he’s somewhere in here?” Ichigo asks quietly, looking around as well now.

The cave seemed empty, but he too could sense a strange tingling at the back of his head, similar to what he got from Grimmjow, though the aura felt different.

It felt....weaker than what he had sensed from Grimmjow, or Ulquiorra, or even Yammy for that matter.

There was more than one though, which could be a problem.

”Should we go back?”

Grimmjow frowns, not saying a word for a while. He did not like the idea of backtracking, as it could mean these guys would perhaps come after them, and fighting in such cramped space would be a pain in the ass, and perhaps even cause a cave-in.

”Stay here.”

He whispers into Ichigo’s ear, before letting go of him and sneaking alongside the wall, stealthily like a nightly beast in a hunt. Ichigo tried to follow him with his gaze, but Grimmjow soon disappeared into the shadows. It should not surprise him as much as it did, how stealthy the man was if he wanted to. He HAD said earlier he used to be an assassin after all. Ichigo was just more used to seeing him confront people out in the open and make a flashy show of it.

After a moment, he suddenly hears a noise from the bridge, and a moment later, he sees a shadowy figure drop down to the ground, the noise startling the hiding ginger.

For his surprise, he sees more shadows moving now, one in the living quarter, another on the other side of the cave, near the elevator engine. Something swiftly hurls across the open space in a quick, blue flash, and the figure beside the lift engine gets taken out, silently like the one before him or her.

Grimmjow had found one of them despite the elementals trying to hide their presence, and had used them to lure the other two to give out their positions.

Ichigo watches in morbid curiosity, as he realizes he was seeing Grimmjow do what Aizen had apparently hired him for - stealthy kills, one by one. Eventually, all three figures were down, and he appears back beside Ichigo, still looking around tensely.

”This place’s squirming with those guys. I doubt the three I took out are the only ones.”

”Do you think they might be waiting outside?”

Ichigo whispers, glancing towards their path to apparent freedom.

”Probably. If this is that pinkie’s doing, he likely intended those three to sneak up on us from behind.” Grimmjow mutters out, glancing at the exit dubiously.

There had to be more of them outside, he was damn sure about that. However... for some reason he could not sense any other elementals nearby, which did not make much sense; sending a mere human soldier against someone of his caliber, not even Szayel could be that dumb or arrogant. Granted, he could not sense any humans nearby either. That was not a generic elemental skill though; it had to do with brainwaves and them basically being like tiny electric currents.

Him not sensing anything did not mean that there were none nearby; his ’brainwave detector’ ability could be fooled if you just wore something that would make him unable to sense your neural activity.

Like a fucking full-body tinfoil hat or so.

Yes, it sounded funny as hell, but this shit actually worked against him. ....Up until he’d find them and fry them anyway.

”Grimm, should we go back or not?”

Ichigo asks again, grasping his shoulder and making the man look at him. The blunet looks at him, and then glances at the door, before turning his gaze back at the ginger.

”...No. They’ll come after us an’ fighting in this cramped space might just be bad fer us.”

”Then what do we do? It’s likely a trap so we cannot just walk out, can we?”

Kurosaki had a point, but given he could not sense a damn thing from the outside, Grimmjow could not tell for sure what they should do. His instincts told him that there were more outside, elementals, humans, it did not matter. If they spotted him and Kurosaki before he spotted them...

”Can’t sense shit, but it don’t mean there’s nobody there. They might be just either hiding their auras or covering themselves - or likely both - so I can’t sense their nerve system.”

The brown eyes look at him curiously now, obviously realizing he was yet again learning something new about Grimmjow’s abilities.

Honestly, given how much shit he’d been explaining to Kurosaki, it made the man realize just how _little_ he had known originally.

It was unnerving, how much he was revealing to the ginger bastard now.

”Yer brainwaves are small electric currents, so any lightning elemental can fuckin’ sense those. At least if they practice enough.” He mutters under his breath, considering their options. They did not have much time, as the guys he’d taken out had radios on them, indicating they were supposed to report once he and Kurosaki arrived. Hell, maybe they had already before he’d taken them out, the blunet couldn’t be sure.

”That’s...amazing.”

”It ain’t actually; almost every goddamn element can find a way to detect living beings, regardless if they are bloody elementals or not. Ulquiorra can track yer movements as long as there are shadows near ya. Experienced Light elementals can basically use reflective surfaces ta look around without leaving their goddamn lair.”

That... that sounded unnerving. It was a great ability for Intel gathering, which honestly explained why someone like Patros was doing the undercover mission. He had been a light elemental, so such an ability to peek around had to have been handy.

”So you think there might be more, but you cannot sense them?”

Grimmjow shakes his head, clearly frustrated.

”They must be wearin’ something ta block my ability. Szayel has prepared himself well, fucking bastard.”

Ichigo gazes at him for a moment, and then a thought starts forming in his head. If any elemental could have some form of ability to track living beings as Grimmjow said... He looks at his hands, wondering if he had one too. Even if he did, Ichigo had no clue how to activate it. But maybe....maybe he could try.

”....How do you usually do the whole sensing people thing?”

The blunet looks at him confused, and then spots the familiar glint in Kurosaki’s eyes. The fucker thought he might have an idea.

”....It’s kinda hard to describe given I do it almost reflexively nowadays. Comes from ta spine an’ all...”

The brown eyes look up at him with a deep frown.

”If what you said is true, perhaps... I might be able to sense their body heat. I doubt they have planned ahead for that.”

Grimmjow just stares at the young man.

Holy fucking shit, that was actually a _GOOD_ idea, if only the ginger could pull it off.

Grimmjow had his doubts as he had never seen Kurosaki do something like that. However, just because he hadn’t, it didn’t mean he couldn’t. He’d pulled miracles out of his ass before.

”I suppose it’s kinda similar ta sensing elemental aura. Except ya don’t sense the vibes the auras give you, but rather the thing you are trying to pinpoint. Basically, when I track fer brainwaves, I look fer a feeling of slight static that gets stronger the closer I get.”

Ichigo gazes at his hands for a moment, and then nods.

”In my case...it has to be the heat.”

Okay, maybe Grimmjow should not be that surprised that Kurosaki did have smarts under that ridiculously bright hairdo of his; he had been an investigator in the Guard, you could not do that job without brains. Still though, he had a feeling what was guiding the ginger to try this out right now was not just his smarts, but his instincts too.

The blunet just nods, and watches as Kurosaki takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, focusing quietly for a moment.

It was... difficult to do something like this when he was fairly certain he’d never done it before, but the situation was pretty tricky so he had to at least try.

At first, all he really felt was his own body, the blood running in his veins, his breathing expanding his lungs each time he sucked air in, the tingle on his skin. Soon, he could feel a more familiar tingle; Grimmjow’s elemental aura.

Then, as his face went into a deep frown from trying so hard, the tingle beside him was slowly accompanied by radiating heat.

Yes! He could sense it now, the body heat coming off from Grimmjow.

He was surprisingly warm, and not just because he stood so close by.

”I can...I can sense you.”

Ichigo informs him, biting his lip as he focused harder, trying to reach further away.

The blunet just watches him keenly, blue eyes shining in the darkness.

It felt...weird.

Slowly but surely, this unusual map began to form in his head; at first the process was slow, sort of like walking upriver against a fairly strong current, but then as he sucked in a breath, something seemed to snap, and all of a sudden his ’vision’ expanded, reaching well beyond the cave. Ichigo nearly stumbles, and he feels Grimmjow catch him before he fell to the ground, hearing the man state his name in a more concerned manner.

Ichigo just shakes his head, informing the man he was fine.

He kept his eyes closed, slowly processing the new amount of info given him by his senses. There were three hot-spots aside from Grimmjow right beside him, though they were not as warm. Likely it was the trip Grimmjow had dealt with. Ichigo noted that they likely were still alive as their body-temperature felt stable, although it would not drop so fast right after death anyway.

Still, he had a hunch Grimmjow had not killed them, given their elemental aura had not faded like it probably would upon death.

Ichigo reaches further into the environment, noting that his own body began to feel warm, the sensation reminding him of the time the white flames had busted out. Ichigo pauses and quickly backs away, worried that he’d accidentally burn Grimmjow. However, as he opens his eyes, Ichigo notes the burning feeling was only internal, as no flames covered him right now.

”Ya get anything?”

The man questions with a frown, a little confused about Kurosaki’s earlier action of backing away abruptly.

”I...yes. Sorry, I thought I was gonna burn you.”

Grimmjow snorts at that, but his face was still in a frown.

”I...I’ll try again. Please stay back just in case I burst into flames again or something.”

After a moment, the man just nods quietly, keeping his distance.

Ichigo closes his eyes and focuses again; slightly overwhelmed by the new sensations he was receiving. It was not just the warmth of the humans he sensed; the industrial machinery on active use felt like scorching hot-spots, whereas the apparent freezers felt really chilly. It was this strange map of... heat that formed in his brain. Cool spots, warm spots, slowly drawing out a rough map of their surroundings.

Ichigo could tell the difference between where was outside and inside a building just by the heat signature he sensed, and he could even tell which ones had people inside them. However, that was not enough, he had to pinpoint things that were likely OUTSIDE of the buildings, or otherwise felt strangely out of place. His frown deepened, and the burning sensation got stronger. He began to feel slightly light-headed and stumbled to the floor, panting.

He could faintly hear Grimmjow call out his name, sounding slightly concerned again.

Ichigo did not blame him, his own breathing sounded pretty labored right now, which was probably bad.

Ichigo doesn’t back down however; he had suddenly spotted something. Several figures hiding in unusual spots around the site outside; what made it unusual that they seemed to be carrying another heat-source, perhaps a weapon of some sort? There were even two by the entranceway to the mine.

”Kurosaki, knock it off!”

Grimmjow suddenly shoves him to the ground, making Ichigo loose his focus.

He gasps for air, and for a moment just remains on the cool ground on his fours, staring at the ground beneath him, his chest heaving.

As he finally sits up properly, Ichigo notes his skin had gone pale, and it still felt unusually warm. What’s more...his hair had strands of white on it. It was weird.

”For fuck’s sake! Were ya trying to kill yourself?!” The blunet hisses at him quietly as he crouches beside Ichigo, holding a hand on his forehead.

Kurosaki’s temperature was going down back to normal, but the pale skin tone and the white strands of hair were definitely unusual. It reminded him of the moment when the ginger had bust out with those white hot flames earlier in the mansion.

”I...There’s two at the entrance. A lot of them are strewn about the entire area outside. I think there are also workers on shift inside the buildings.”

Grimmjow just stares at Kurosaki in shock for a moment. To be able to sense so much on your first try....what the hell _was_ this guy?

”Can ya tell where they are exactly?”

Ichigo pauses, thinking back of what he’d ’seen.’

”....Majority of them are on the western side of the area. I think I counted seven or eight anomalies on top of the two beside the entrance.”

That made sense, as it was where the railroad was.

Szayel had likely also figured that they were intending on jumping on a train. Grimmjow cursed under his breath as the situation was not exactly good. If they went back to the tunnels, they risked ending up in a disadvantageous fight due to the closed space. If they went out, the risk of getting caught was high.

”I’m guessing from your expression that we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

Ichigo sighs, rubbing his eyes. He still felt dizzy from what he just did, but also...quite proud.

It had all been just gut instinct, just following a hunch, and it had worked.

He could tell from the surprised look on Grimmjow’s face earlier that he’d been impressed too by his feat.

”....Yeah, but now that we know what to expect, chances of us sneaking outta here are better.” Grimmjow finally admits, a slight grin appearing on his face. Ichigo could not stop himself from smirking too, noticing that yes, the blunet was pretty darn impressed with him right now.

”So, what shall we do?”

”First we gotta take out the two on the entrance, then its better if we take the longer route around the eastern side. They might still come after us, but if we get lucky we’ll sneak past ’em without being noticed. Just gotta watch for the videocameras.”

”Sounds like a plan.”

Ichigo comments and pushes himself up after a moment, noting that the dizzy feeling from earlier was gone already. It was... surprising given how harsh his breathing had sounded earlier.

”Yer body is adapting.” Grimmjow tells him, as if sensing Ichigo’s confusion over the quick return of his stamina.

The ginger just nods after a moment, not really knowing what to say to that. The two then sneak towards the entrance within the shadows around them. For Ichigo’s surprise, he could still feel their heat signal, a fact he informed Grimmjow about.

”Huh, that’s good; ya can warn me if someone tries ta sneak up on us.”

The blunet smirks at him, although he seemed also a little confused about the gingers inability to turn his new sense off.

It was not like the elemental radar or so, which was passive.

These kind of more precise tracking methods required conscious activating, and normally it would turn off so to say once you stopped focusing.

Whatever, he had more important things to deal with right now.

They manage to dispose the two hiding near the entrance fairly quickly, with Grimmjow knocking the other one out moments before he spoke to his radio to inform his comrades about the strange noises he’d heard from within the mine. It quickly became clear why Grimmjow could not sense these two; their uniforms had some sort of radiation proof coating, basically making them invisible to his electricity sense. Full body tinfoil hat as stated before, just less goofy looking than what one might have first imagined when hearing those words. Another thing Grimmjow notes was the fact the men were also wearing security guard outfits, which likely made it easier for them to blend in to the industrial setting. rest of Szayel's goons likely had similar outfits right now.

Ichigo did not feel too comfortable about taking them out like this - even if Grimmjow did not kill them - given these two seemed to be just some sort of human mercenaries, but he was glad Grimmjow had the decency to not outright fry them.

He’d clearly held back when knocking them out, given they were just humans and thus weaker.

”Why use humans?”

”More disposable and harder to detect by an elemental if given proper tools.”

Grimmjow states simply, sneaking towards the nearest building. Ichigo frowns but says nothing to that, following the man.

His heat sense did not pick up anything suspicious nearby them, so for now they were safe. He made sure to keep an eye out so to say, if Grimmjow really couldn’t sense anyone right now. They stop at the shadow of a large warehouse, which seemed to house some sort of industry equipment.

”Sense anything?” He asks Kurosaki without looking at him, scanning their surroundings with his eyes. He was also trying to recall the layout of this place.

It had been a while since he had been there.

”Aside from the workers in the next building, or the machinery in this one, no. I think we have not been noticed so far.”

”Good. Let’s hope we can keep it that way.”

They quickly climb over the fence to get into the actual area, and sneak to the nearest building and the crates stacked behind it, taking cover from the shadows. Ichigo stops him suddenly, grabbing the man’s arm and tugging him back into the shadows as he’d been about to dash to the next spot. The blunet soon saw why; two workers came out from the nearby cafeteria, heading back to their work station.

”I think it’s for the best if they don’t see us either.”

Kurosaki tells him, and the man nods, figuring he was right.

They wait until the two disappear into the next building, before changing spots, quickly making their way through the area, avoiding being seen the best they could. Grimmjow seemed to be aware of where the security cameras of the place were exactly, as he would stop Ichigo moments before he’d step into the line of sight of one.

”Aizen had a lot of dealings in this place so I know it pretty darnn well.” Grimmjow answers his unsaid question.

The whole Hueco Mundo area seemed to be incredibly familiar to Grimmjow, huh. Supposedly it was a good thing for now, though Ichigo could not stop but wonder curiously if he naturally had such a precise memory, or if it was a side-effect of his sometimes overactive brain.

After hiding and dodging into hiding several times, Grimmjow finally spots what he was looking for; the eastern gate that led out of the industrial complex.

”There. We just hafta go around this place through the forest to reach the railroad.”

Ichigo nods, feeling a bit more optimistic now, as their journey so far had been undisturbed, aside from having to hide from workers occasionally and watch out for the security cameras. However, as they head for the gate, Ichigo suddenly senses something approach them quickly, and he pushes Grimmjow aside just as a large shock of energy hits the spot he’d stood seconds earlier.

They both scramble up, finding another one of those human mercenaries in guards clothes, holding a weapon that seemed like a larger version of those Tasers. The man curses and quickly fires at them at rapid succession, forcing the two to back away and take cover behind the nearest steel crates.

”What the hell is that?” Ichigo questions, his heart beating fast in his chest.

”Probably a modified elemental taser. If that blast hits either of us, we’ll be knocked out fer days.”

Grimmjow grunts, irritated about the situation. Soon enough, Ichigo senses more heat signals approaching them, and he quickly pushes Grimmjow aside again, as another blast is aimed at them from behind, on top of the roof of the nearest building.

”I thought ya could keep an eye out on them!”

”I’m still new with this ability!”

Ichigo defends himself, before they dodge another strike, being forced out in the open. Ichigo soon noted that majority of their opponents were humans, but they all had similar weapons to the first one, which seemed incredibly powerful. Soon enough, a familiar pink haired figure appears from shadows, clapping slowly as he did so.

Ichigo tenses instantly, recognizing the man, and Grimmjow stands between then, hiding Ichigo from sight somewhat.

”Bravo, Jeagerjaquez. You sure gave us quite the chase.”

”Not my fault yer dumber than you think.”

Szayel looks at him mildly irritated, but his annoyingly smug grin was back soon enough.

”But all good things must come to an end. Hand Kurosaki over and we might let you live.”

The blunet snorts, his energy sparking around him again.

”As if. I happen ta know that half of the shit that comes out of yer mouth is bullcrap, and the other half just plain lies.”

Szayel did not seem happy with that response, and the man around them raise their weapons, aiming at Grimmjow.

”Please, save us your theatrics; you know full well you two are surrounded, and even one blast from these weapons will knock you out. Multiple shots might kill.” The pink haired man smirks at him devilishly, gaining no reaction from the blunet. It was damn hard to fear death when you already almost died.

”Callin’ _me_ ’theatrical’ is pretty thick coming from an overdramatic bitch like you.”

Grimmjow tells the man with a snort. ”Is insults the only language you know, Jeagerjaguez? This is why it has been much more pleasant not having you around.”

Szayel sighs - dramatically of course - and gestures his men to be ready to fire.

Before they could however, Ichigo suddenly throws a huge fireball between them, disrupting the situation. He then grabs Grimmjow’s arm and quickly drags him away from the open area, heading back to the direction they came from.

”Where the hell are you going?!”

”All of them are there now, so the west side is free.”

Ichigo tells him simply and throws another fireball at the people chasing them, causing a lot of smoke from the crates he had hit, before they dodge into hiding to the nearest building.

”Runnin’ around this place like this is fucking stupid; we’ll be cornered in no time.”

”Not necessarily; this place seems to be the locker room area. We should disguise ourselves as workers so it will be harder for them to spot us.”

Grimmjow just stares at him for a moment.

What was with this guy and a sudden influx of good ideas?

”....They can still track our auras.”

”But we can disguise them too, right?”

”I can hide mine, but yer element is so unstable right now, I doubt you can.”

Ichigo frowns, as Grimmjow did have a point.

”Well if you have a better idea...”

Grimmjow sighs and shakes his head. ”No. It’s worth a shot. Given there are fire-elementals working here as their abilities can be handy in metal industry, maybe they’ll mistake ya as one of them.”

Ichigo just nods and they head to the locker rooms, looking for fitting outfits for them. Grimmjow clearly did not like putting on the ugly blue overalls, but they had no choice. Just running around as they were was not a smart idea. Grimmjow had also picked up a worker’s back to stuff the things they’d taken from the villa into it, figuring that carrying around the one from before would give them out instantly.

Both cover their hair with the ridiculous looking yellow safety helmet, before heading for the door.

Ichigo stops, and glances at him uneasy. He was not certain that this would work, but it was the best shot they had right now. Stepping out, Ichigo could not sense anyone on that side of the large building, but he could tell a group was going around and heading their way fast. Ichigo also noticed bit of a crowd heading towards the fire he’d caused, likely going to turn it off. The bit of chaos he had caused with his fire would make it harder for those mercenaries to fire around with their weapons carelessly.

”Let’s go to the cafeteria and mingle into the crowd, it will make us harder to spot.”

Grimmjow just nods, his senses on high alert. He did not like the idea of going amongst the people working there but as a former assassin of sorts, he knew that hiding in plain sight was a pretty good disguise.

They walked past an apparent fire-crew heading to turn out the sudden blaze, and join in with the other group heading for the cafeteria. They had stopped to watch the column of smoke, but after seeing that it was being handled already, the workers headed for their lunch. It felt a bit wrong to Ichigo; usually if things like this happened you’d expect everybody to be hands on to deal with the blaze.

Then again, the fire crew he’d seen seemed fairly prepared, so perhaps they figured they could handle it. In fact, it seemed that the blaze did not surprise many of the men around them. He could even hear some joke about how the safety record had been broken again.

”Hueco Mundo’s industrial area ain’t known for being the safest. So that’s why they’re so chill.”

Grimmjow mutters to him quietly, gaining a glance from Ichigo.

”They’re used to this; equipment is so poor here it can burst into flames or do other random shit at any time. These guys are so mellow towards shit like this because of that. They've sorta stopped caring.”

Ah, that explained a lot, though it was also kind of sad to hear.

They both tense lightly, seeing two of the human gunmen walk past the crowd, seemingly inspecting it. The workers did not seem too bothered, indicating that the disguises the men wore were working.

His heartbeat fastened as the men’s gaze grazes over them, but luckily their disguise works as well, as they don’t stop to take a closer look, heading away eventually to search elsewhere. Ichigo releases a quiet sigh if relief, but he knew they weren’t out of danger yet.

 

The cafeteria was buzzing with people, so much so that it was cramped.

Somehow, they manage to squeeze through the massive crowd of people, heading for the backdoor. One of the workers calls after them, asking why they weren’t joining in for the meal.

”The food’s shit anyway.” Grimmjow had grunted back at him much to Ichigo’s dismay, but for his surprise the man had just laughed, agreeing with him.

”At least they still feed us. Wonder when that luxury is taken away as well.”

Once they make it out through the back door, Ichigo glances at Grimmjow again.

”Where is the gate?”

Grimmjow glances around, noting they were fairly close to their destination.

”Just past the next two storage areas.”

”Good, but we gotta be careful; I can sense at least three hot spots around here that I doubt are the workers. They are too separated from the rest given it seems to be lunchtime.”

”......I could teleport us to the gate directly now. It’s closed enough and won’t take too much energy, but it will give out our location and we hafta leave the bag behind.”

”Let’s try not to attract their attention for now.”

Ichigo concludes, and they continue walking towards their destination, with Ichigo being on high alert in case they are spotted and recognized. Just as the path seems to be clear, someone shouts after them and the two freezes, seeing one of the workers heading their way. He had an orange helmet instead of yellow, and he was wearing a safety jacket, indicating he was a boss of some sort.

”What are you two doing in this area! You should be working on the west wing based on your uniforms!”

”Ah, uh, sorry sir, we are kind of new and got lost.”

Ichigo mumbles out, rubbing his neck awkwardly. Shit this was bad; he could already sense the lone hotspots heading their way, if this man kept stalking them any longer, they could be in trouble.

”I can tell, this is no time to be loitering around here, get back to your positions if you aren’t going to...”

The man suddenly pauses and frowns, examining them more closely. To be exact, Ichigo notes he was examining Grimmjow more closely, who was clearly hiding his face somewhat, unusually tense. Suddenly, the man backs away in shock, confusing Ichigo.

”You!”

Before Ichigo could even process what was happening, Grimmjow suddenly moves forward and kicks the old man in the gut, sending him fly against the nearest wall.

”Why the hell did you do that?!”

Grimmjow says nothing, just grabs his wrist and starts running towards the gate like wildfire was chasing them.

The man scrambles up from the ground, his helmet lying on the ground cracked, revealing the sandy blond hair beneath.

_”You hurt my son! You monster!”_

He shouts after them, gaining the attention of the two mercenaries tracking them.

Grimmjow doesn’t even bother keeping up the act, as he fires a lightning bolt at the nearest one, knocking him out and sending him fly several feet. His companion fires his weapon at them, but they dodge it, skidding behind the nearest building.

”Who the hell was that?!” Ichigo questions the man again, who fires another lightning round at the man on the roof, attempting to hit them.

”Wonderweiss’ father.”

Ichigo went completely quiet, his face pale.

”...Oh god....he must’ve recognized you from the video you told me about...”

Grimmjow just nods with a grim expression, already seeing the gate ahead.

“Forgot he worked here….”

Suddenly, a large blast hits right behind their feet, sending both fly and collide to the ground harshly.

Once Ichigo scrambles up, he realizes that they were pinned between a group of those men and the locked gate. What’s worse, he realized Grimmjow had been partially hit, as he was knocked out cold.

”Shit.”

Ichigo looks around, trying to come up with something. As one of the mercenaries fires a shot at him, Ichigo brings up a flame to dodge it, and for his surprise, his flames are white again. The flickering ball of fire easily devours the energy shot aimed at him, and then continues right towards the man who shot it, forcing him and his closest teammates to dodge as it collides to the ground, creating a large burnt crater to the spot.

”What...?”

Why were his flames suddenly so powerful?

He did not have time to ponder this too much, as another two shots are fired at him, and Ichigo lifts up a large wall of flame to stop them. It held off those on the ground level, but Ichigo noted there were three on the nearby roofs. He sends a blast at that direction, forcing one of them to back away as the surface beneath his feet literally melted away at the blazing heat Ichigo had sent there.

He could see holes appearing to his fire wall at times, as the men kept shooting at it.

He turns to look at Grimmjow again, noting the man had moved to his side with a groan.

”Fuck that hurt...”

He goes quiet as he opens his eyes, taking in the surroundings. He just stares at the blazing firewall between them and their opponents, noting how Kurosaki was also covered in the same white flames. He could feel the heat and raw power emanating from all of it, but Kurosaki himself did not seem to be aware how fucking bizarre the sight was, as he rushes to Grimmjow like being covered in fire was normal, crouching down beside him concerned.

”Are you okay?!”

”Yeah, just grazed me....what the hell’s that?”

He questions, nodding at the humongous firewall that cut them off from their hunters for now.

”I put it up to keep them at bay, but it won’t last long. There are still men on the roof.”

As if prove his point, another paralyzing energy blast is shot at them, which Ichigo destroys by firing a flare at it. He was radiating so much power right now, that Grimmjow was fairly sure he would’ve been scorched alive, had he not been protected by Ichigo’s unwillingness to harm him.

It was how elementals kept themselves from hurting their allies; they told their energy subconsciously who was a friend and who was a foe, this went for all levels. It had been this same subconscious thing that had prevented Ichigo from getting hurt back then, in that tunnel when he'd rushed to rescue Grimmjow.

”...Let’s get outta here then. The track’s about a mile away.”

Grimmjow pushes himself up, and holds a hand out for Ichigo. The ginger looks at him confused, then seems to get what he was up to.

”You said they can follow us...”

”Yer intense blaze is probably blocking their sensors and abilities right now, so they cannot pinpoint where I teleport.”

Ichigo glances at his wall of flame again, and then throws a fireball at the other two on the nearest roof, melting it as well to make them back away. Now no one could see what they were doing. He turns back to Grimmjow, and after moment of hesitation, takes his hand and allows the man to drag him closer. It should have been painful, but it was not; Ichigo’s flames did nothing to him, just made him feel a little warmer than usual.

Ichigo closes his eyes with a deep breath and clings to him now, and a second later, his world is again filled with intense blue light.

 

Once the flames die down as quickly as they appeared, Szayel realizes for his frustration that the two had disappeared.

He had never expected Kurosaki to have such amount of power hidden within him.

What was worse, the workers of the place were coming to check on the situation, which could cause trouble.

Aizen had wanted him to deal with this secretly, not to make a sideshow out of it. As per usual however, Jeagerjaquez was making it needlessly hard.

”We need to leave this area, now!”

He orders his men, and they disappear once the first workers arrive at the scene, confused by the large amount of fire damage in the area. There was nothing that could be this flammable stored at this part of the place.

 

 

Once Ichigo opens his eyes, his flames were gone, and so was the industrial area.

They were in a forest, and there were train tracks just few yards away, in the middle of a more open area naturally. Grimmjow let’s go of him and slumps to the floor, although this time he just breathes heavily, not coughing out blood which was probably a good thing. Probably because the distance he’d brought them was shorter than last time.

”That was close.”

Ichigo concludes after a moment of silence, looking around uncertain. They had made it to the tracks, but there were no trains in sight, he couldn’t even hear anything approach yet. Another thing was, they had left the bag behind as it had been too big for Grimmjow to also teleport with them, which was a problem as Tatsuki’s cellphone was likely in it.

”Shit, I need to warn Inoue that I lost Tatsuki’s cell. If they find it, she might get in trouble.”

A snort escapes from Grimmjow, and he digs something out of his pocket. It was the cellphone.

”Ya really think I would’ve put this thing there?”

”I thought you cannot teleport objects with you!”

”Not big ones no, cellphone is easy.”

Ichigo huffs and grasps the phone, checking it. The battery was half full, which could be good or bad, he was not sure at this point.

”What’s the time?”

”11.43, why?”

Grimmjow lets out a hum and pushes himself up from the ground.

”Lucky. A cargo train’s gonna pass by within five minutes.”

Ichigo lifts eyebrow at that, then he could hear a familiar train whistle in the distance.

”How are we going to get onboard though? It must be travelling fast.”

”Not in this area no; it’s a slope so the train got no choice but to move slowly or it’ll crash to the bottom.”

Ah, now that Ichigo looked around, it did look like the ground was slanted.

”Wish we could have at least taken spare clothes with us.” Ichigo mutters, not honestly liking the stupid uniform he wore any better than Grimmjow. Grimmjow doesn’t say anything, as he waits for their ride to show up to their sight.

 

 

He was right, the train did move fairly slowly, so hooping onboard wasn’t too hard.

The cart they’d chosen was also more spacious now, which was immediately a relief to Ichigo. Not that he’d minded resting up against Grimmjow last time, but he was done with being in claustrophobic places for now. Glancing at the blunet, Ichigo noted he seemed to be lost in thought, likely shaken by coming face to face with that boy’s father. Ichigo did not really know what to say to this; he could not excuse Grimmjow’s actions, even if he was aware the man had not wanted to do it.

Regret did not bring people back from death.

Ichigo sighs and looks around the cart, noting that the boxes in this one were cardboard ones instead of wooden crates. Out of curiosity, he peeks into one of them, and is in for a pleasant surprise.

”These seem to be clothes being transported somewhere. We are in luck!”

Grimmjow says nothing, just glances at him briefly.

The ginger digs out in the boxes until he can find something that fit for them both. He throws black trousers and a white shirt to the man, alongside a white jacket he figured would be large enough. Ichigo grabs a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt for himself, as well as a blue jacket that seemed to be his size. He was glad to get rid of the uncomfortable workman clothes, although it was pretty cold, standing there in your boxers only.

As he glances at his companion, he notes Grimmjow had already tugged on the black trousers, but he was sitting down, just sort of holding the shirt on his hand while gazing at the floor.

”Are you okay?”

Ichigo knew it was a dumb question, but he could not stop himself. The man let’s him know that he agreed, snorting and rolling his eyes.

The ginger shakes his head with a sigh, tugging on the new pair of pants. They were a bit large for him, but did stay up regardless. He pauses briefly to look at his hands for a bit. It seemed that he was slowly getting a hang of these weird new powers of his, as he had been able to maintain and control it much longer than last time, where it had really been just an instinctive emotional burst. This time he actually roughly knew what he was doing.

Once he tugs on the shirt and turns to face Grimmjow again, he notices the man was staring at him now.

Before he could ask again if he was okay, Grimmjow spoke finally.

”....Ya should have just ran an’ left me.”

Ichigo freezes as he hears those quiet words drop out from his mouth.

”....Why?”

”Ya know why.”

Ichigo huffs and walks to him, sitting in front of the man and looking at him sternly in the eyes.

”I cannot do that. Regardless of what you did in the past, you are now trying to help me. I would not know where to go if you weren’t here.”

” _Fuck that_. You wanna go to Rukongai, yer friends are heading there too, might be there already. You could’ve just gone there without me.”

”Earlier on you were very skeptical about them being able to protect me if needed.”

Grimmjow snorts, shaking his head with a bitter smirk.

”After what I just saw, m’starting ta think ya don’t even need it.”

Ichigo reaches out and places a hand on Grimmjow’s cheek, just caressing the skin with his thumb. Grimmjow looked a little exhausted, likely because of the hit he’d suffered as well as doing the teleportation so soon after it.

”Whenever I need it or not, I do need you to watch my six just in case.”

”Yer friends can do it fer you.”

”My friends aren’t as strong as you! If what you said is true, that there will be people more powerful than you...my friends won’t have a chance against them I fear. You might as you know how their powers work.”

Grimmjow shakes his head tiredly, tilting his forehead against Kurosaki’s now.

”Ya saw how easily Ulquiorra took me out, and he’s not the strongest either. There’s at least one more who’s even more powerful, and another who might be weaker than that gloomy bastard, but he’s as much of a pain in the ass.”

He pauses, letting out a tired chuckle.

”Harribel’s actually supposed ta be more powerful than I am. The only reason I was really winning back then was because an overload makes ya briefly stronger than anybody else.”

Ichigo remains quiet, but he keeps petting Grimmjow’s face, feeling the man lean against his palm slightly, likely out of reflex.

A heavy silence landed between them, as Grimmjow just closed his eyes and enjoyed the touch. Ichigo shifts closer almost without noticing it himself, moving to sit on his lap, now caressing the blue hair instead. A slight, purr-like sound escaped Grimmjow’s throat, and he was clearly enjoying the touch. Eventually the ginger leans close enough for their breathing to mingle together, and Ichigo closes the gap after few more hesitant seconds, pressing their lips together softly.

It seemed that all of Grimmjow’s earlier aggression and tenseness melted away slowly, replaced by a certain kind of weariness, likely triggered by coming face-to-face with the parent whose child he’d harmed – even if reluctantly.

After Ichigo shifts away, the blunet releases a slow, tired sigh and just slumps his head against Ichigo’s shoulder, allowing him to continue the earlier hair-petting.

They just sat there for a while, listening the train go along the tracks, slowly picking up speed as it headed down the hill. Finally though, Ichigo breaks the silence. Perhaps it was finally the time to come clean about certain things.

”you love me.”

It was not a question. Grimmjow doesn’t react, knowing Kurosaki was not asking for confirmation to that assumption.

They both knew the answer already. He did not know the darker side of it, the way his brain made it work, but he did not need to know, it did not matter either way.

Even if he did not have his possessive tendencies, it would still be bad for Kurosaki given his history.

”How it happened or why, or when, I suppose none of that matters at this point.”

Again, silence.

”What I want to know is, why it feels like you try to push me away at times, when you clearly don’t want to do it.”

 

_Why are you denying yourself something you clearly want?_

_Someone who clearly wants you back?_

 

Kurosaki was asking why he acted so…dysfunctional towards him, so to say. Supposedly that was the best word to describe it. Why was he decent one moment, and then yelling at his face the next second, why did he comfort him other times, when he also had a habit of telling him things that were anything but comforting; Kurosaki wanted to know the truth finally, and he no longer had it in him to keep quiet about all of it.

Grimmjow finally pushes himself back up, away from Kurosaki’s shoulder. Ichigo just watches him expectantly, his hands now resting against the man’s chest. For a moment neither of them spoke, the only sound coming from the train itself as it hurled across the tracks.

”Don’t say that ’I know why’ because I need to hear it from you.”

Ichigo tells him after a moment, gaining a slightly irritated huff from Grimmjow, who rubs his eyes tiredly.

”For fuck’s sake... It’s because we both know I’m not the kind ya deserve.” He finally huffs out with a sigh, looking at Ichigo with a mentally exhausted look. It was eerily similar to something Ichigo had seen before, a flash of a memory appearing in his head about Grimmjow and a liquor bottle beside him. It made him swallow down hard, and slip his hands to Grimmjow’s shoulders, squeezing them lightly.

”The shit I pulled back then, there’s no excuse fer it. Yet ya keep tolerating me, and I just don’t get why. You keep saving my ass when I don’t deserve it, you keep bein’ nice when ya should just smack me for the shit I let out of my mouth, let alone the stuff I might do.”

”....Perhaps you are not as bad as you think.”

Ichigo comments softly, as he thought back on the past few days; he could not recall anything that was especially nasty what Grimmjow would have said to him specifically. He had gotten angry and yelled at Ichigo several times, but it had never been anything malicious. Just pure frustration, and sometimes even deserved at that, like when he’d been angry about Ichigo running out in the open back in Rukongai and nearly got himself caught, or when he HAD gotten himself caught stupidly by Patros. Being mad about such things… Grimmjow had a right to be angry at those cases.

Grimmjow hums, a slight bitter smirk dancing on his lips.

”The good shit I might’ve done don’t outweigh the bad, don’t pretend it does.”

Ichigo remains quiet, contemplating on his words.

”Shouldn’t I be the one who decides if you’re worth it?”

Grimmjow almost wants to laugh, but he refrains from it, just shaking his head with a borderline angry grin. It was not angry towards Kurosaki though.

”That’s the thing. It’s pretty fucking obvious you think I am, but I disagree with that. And I know I cannot change your mind about this no matter how hard I try. I know, because that’s what I’ve been trying, and it’s _not fucking working._ ”

Now his tone was edging towards the slight unstable tone from when he was drunk, but Ichigo was not intimidated by it anymore. He… could understand why Grimmjow sounded so frustrated about this. If he knew he could be capable of hurting someone he cared for voluntarily or involuntarily, Ichigo would probably want to push them away too for their own safety.

However, Ichigo also felt the man was not giving himself enough credit.

”….I have a reason to think you are not as bad as you believe to be; yes, you did kill those men back in Rukongai, but they would have likely killed you or us both so you just reacted to the situation. I don’t like it, but it cannot be taken back.”

”Ta be honest, they probably wouldn’t have killed ya, as it is pretty obvious now that they want you back alive. I clearly overreacted.” Grimmjow mutters out, avoiding his gaze. Ichigo sighs and shakes his head with a frown, looking at the man with a stern look.

“Regardless of what happened then... I could not stop but notice how you’ve been holding back since.”

Grimmjow looks at him with lift eyebrow, and Ichigo turns his gaze away, looking at the pile of clothes that were probably not suitable for putting on the store shelves anymore, at least not before washing them.

”You don’t just outright kill those after us all the time, not if you don’t find it necessary. Like the three elementals in the mine, you didn’t kill them, didn’t you? Or those two in the forest, you just knocked them out as well.”

Ichigo pauses, biting his lip, frowning slightly.

”As for Menoly. You did terrorize her, but...you never actually did anything. You even called your boss to help her. And...based on what I learned of the incident from the past and what I can remember, you let her go back then too.” Ichigo smiles a bit.

Grimmjow just gazes at him with a stoic look.

”Not to mention... you have been doing your best to help me stay calm. You’ve been protecting me despite it clearly causing you trouble. Perhaps you do it for a selfish reason, but the same time, you might be protecting a lot of other people as well, given what you told me about Aizen. Whatever he wanted from me, it could be something that is highly dangerous towards a large scale of people later on, if he gets it.”

Ichigo takes in a deep breath, and looks at Grimmjow directly into his eyes, his voice as calm and determined as he could make it.

”Perhaps it won’t make up for what you have done, but it’s a start.”

They both fall silent now, with Ichigo lowering his gaze and gazing at his hands nervously now that he had said what he wanted to- The heartbeat underneath his palm was steady but it was in no way a good indication on what Grimmjow thought right now. They clearly saw things very differently, and Ichigo knew he could not expect to change Grimmjow’s outlook on himself with just one motivational speech.

He just wanted to make the blunet see his side of things, now that Grimmjow had shared his side of the story.

”I said this once, and I’ll say it again; yer too soft for your own good.”

Ichigo looks up at him, annoyed retaliation ready on his tongue, but he never voices it out as he sees the slight, amused smile on Grimmjow’s face.

No, Grimmjow was not going to change his view about this, because in the end only he knew truly how shitty of a person he was. But it did not mean Kurosaki was entirely wrong either; in the end, when it came to second chances, you did not get to choose if one was offered.

You only chose whenever you took it.

Kurosaki was clearly offering him a chance, and Grimmjow was not sure if he should take it.

Not sure if he could, to be exact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew.  
> Finally a chapter where Ichigo gets to properly shine, yippieee!  
> Boy I got plans for the future.  
> I'm kinda concerned I'll be having so many plot twists I'll lose track of them.  
> Also I probably should check in on others, like Renji and Rukia, in the next chapter.


	10. Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Story intensifies, as we meet with rest of the players on the field, while Ichigo and Grimmjow head for Rukongai.

Ulquiorra watched as Szayel paced around in frustration.

After escaping the industrial area, they had entered back into the mine, currently staying in an old laboratory which was relatively close to the old mansion HQ. The two had escaped from his grasp yet again, and Szayel was running out of time.

It was clear the prospect of Aizen’s wrath was getting to him, as he began to mutter out more and more erratic as time passed on. If he was honest, Ulquiorra had been quite surprised about what he’d witnessed. Not only had Grimmjow chosen not to engage in a bloody massacre like he’d expected, but Kurosaki’s power ignited his curiosity as well.

He had already seen the white flames before in the Jeagerjaquez mansion, but this time they had been even stronger.

It felt like Kurosaki was steadily growing stronger, or rather, his newfound energy was starting to finally balance out and be controllable. No, mabe not full on controllable, but accessible to the young officer.

”Where on earth could those two have gone now?!” Szayel spats more to himself than anyone else, and all of his men remained back, not wanting to face the full blown wrath of the biology elemental.

Getting on his way right now would be a bad idea, given he could come up with very creative ways to make you suffer before death.

”You! Instead of just following me around passively, you should do something!” Szayel suddenly stops and points at Ulquiorra, who was not too surprised that the man knew he was there.

”I cannot take action unless Aizen-sama asks me to.”

”So you’ll rather be a useless vermin who’d rather be passive and do nothing! Honestly I do not understand why Aizen-sama favors you so much, you barely even do anything!”

The men glance between the two powerhouses concerned, knowing that even Grantz would be in trouble if Ulquiorra-san got displeased with him. The raven haired male doesn’t react however which was honestly expected, as he just watches Szayel passively.

”If you ask me to deal with this, you will be admitting to Aizen-sama that you cannot do your job properly.”

The pink haired man snorts and stomps to him, until the two were face to face.

”You are just protecting your little crush, aren’t you?” He hisses accusingly: Szayel was fully aware of the fondness Cifer felt for Jeagerjaquez for some reason. He had never understood why the pale man had grown attached to the lightning brute. He could recall Ulquiorra following Jeagerjaquez around since they were very young, training under Aizen’s wing.

It was clear as day to Szayel that the blunet had never liked him, so having Cifer still hold such strong affection towards him was strange.

He knew it was still there, the fact Ulquiorra was sneaking around like this during this mission proved it.

”I am merely observing for the sake of Aizen-sama, whenever I feel he ahould perhaps request someone else to do this.”

The scientist huffs loudly, and then stomps to the man who had his case, taking it and putting it to the table in order to get out his laptop. Signal was poor given it was a mine, but he did not need the connection right now.

Instead, Szayel looked through his old files and notes, trying to figure out where Grimmjow would perhaps be taking Kurosaki next.

”.....There is a railroad nearby. Maybe they hopped on a train?”

One of his minions muses, and Szayel is about to tell him to shut up and not bother him, when a thought hits in his head.

That’s right... there indeed was one nearby, and it led to....Rukongai.

It actually made sense; given how unexpected it would be, going back where this whole chase started. Plus, if he recalled anything about Kurosaki, the young officer would likely try and find out what happened to him, and best place to start would be where he was picked up by the blunet.

”Let’s head back to Rukongai; in all likeness those two will head back there, as that is where Kurosaki escaped from our grasp.” Szayel orders his men, already planning on how to corner the two in the town. They had escaped from his grasp once there already; he would not make that mistake twice.

Ulquiorra watches as the group heads back towards the exit, not following them as he could traverse much faster on his own.

The raven haired male felt torn right now.

Part of him was still convinced that Grimmjow was too dangerous for his own good, but other part had began to see signs that perhaps, the man was changing. Grimmjow seemed to be more in control of himself than he had been ever before. Ulquiorra was still loyal to Aizen, who had provided him with a proper place to stay, and a purpose in life. However... it did not mean he agreed with everything the man did.

People liked to think he was a blind follower due to his passiveness, but in truth, Ulquiorra just preferred to observe things before he decided to do anything.

He had followed all of Aizen’s orders so far, because they had only made sense to him. However, right now, he felt conflicted when it came to Grimmjow.

Aizen wanted him back alive, but Ulquiorra did not think it was a smart move, given what had happened last time.

He also had a feeling, that whatever project Aizen had asked Szayel to work with Kurosaki was, it was perhaps more dangerous than anyone realized. The aura he kept sensing from Kurosaki each time those white flames burst out, it did not feel....normal.

Something was off about it, tainted.

It did not feel like your typical elemental energy.

What was unknown would likely also be uncontrollable. The raven haired male sighs, as he considers his next move.

 

 

 

 

Harribel had not been surprised one bit by the story Mallia had told them once her underlings had brought the frightened girl to her. She had allowed her to stay with them for now, as the blond woman was still suspicious of the guard, wondering if there were more spies than just one. Plus, Mallia clearly felt safer around them than the guard that had let her down so many times by now.

A small part of Harribel was glad that despite his behavior and anger the girl had described, Jeagerjaquez had yet again chosen not to actually harm her. It was a sign that perhaps he was slowly starting to learn to control his chaotic mind, something Nelliel would have been happy to see.

However, unlike her partner, Harribel was a realist.

In her mind, these things she had heard did not necessarily signal a change of heart from the man, let alone true control. It could simply mean he had no interest in pursuing revenge towards Menoly.

A predator was still a predator, even if it lost interest in chasing after one specific rabbit.

Harribel glances at the sleeping figure on the bed, and then gently takes her pale hand into hers. Nelliel’s skin was warm and she was breathing steadily, but there weren’t much other signs of life on her.

”Honestly, I wish you’d be here right now. I could do with your advice on this situation, as I am concerned what might happen in the future. I cannot trust the Guard fully, but I also know how unpredictable Jeagerjaquez is; letting him take care of Kurosaki...am I only playing this into Aizen’s hands by doing this?”

Harribel sighs and squeezes her hand.

”I do not feel any particular loyalty for that young officer, but Ichigo Kurosaki did save my life. I would be ashamed of myself, if my actions have only caused him to be put in further danger, instead of me repaying my debt for him.”

The woman brushes some of the green hair off from the comatosed figure’s forehead.

”Asking Jeagerjaquez to do this for me, it might not have been a wise choice; even if I hear signs that he might be getting better... Grimmjow is still a dangerous man. I fear every day, since I asked him to work for me, that he’ll relapse. Even more now, given their complicated history.”

Predictably, none of her pondering receives an answer.

After a moment, she sighs and gets up, grabbing her coat and putting it on; she’d have to get going.

Glancing at her cellphone, the woman could not stop but wonder where Jeagerjaquez was, and why hadn’t he called her or messaged her in a while. The woman had a bad feeling about that, but there wasn’t much she could do about it.

As Harribel exits the room, she doesn’t notice the way the pale hand she’d previously held shifted lightly.

 

 

 

 

Rukia and Renji were currently sitting on the cafeteria of a small gas-station right at the edge of Rukongai. Despite their extensive search, the duo just could not find anything useful. Rukia sighs and drinks her coffee, noting it was overly bitter. Renji did not seem happy with his drink either, though his sour expression could have been for other reasons as well.

”Whole day, and nothing. We don’t even know what we are looking for.”

The man mutters out quietly, face in a deep frown.

”I have to agree on that; it is like trying to reach trough a fog blindly for something that you don’t even know what it looks like.”

”Why couldn’t Ichigo give us more info on where he was found? Maybe that lunatic forced him to say that to mislead us.”

”I doubt that; based on what Inoue told me, he had sounded normal. She would have noticed if he was being forced to do something.”

Rukia had a point, Renji had to admit; Orihime was usually the first to notice if something was off with Ichigo. She had been the one to notice back then, when Ichigo had begun to break down after he’d thought Jeagerjaquez had perished despite his efforts, and told them to leave the room. They all knew Ichigo did not like showing his tears publicly after all.

She had also actually been the first to point out the shift in mood to Rukia after Ichigo had come back to work, awakening her suspicions about what had actually happened in the mansion.

”Perhaps she could tell what the hell that damn carrot was thinking, sleeping with a lunatic. I still don’t get that.”

Rukia sighs and brushes some black locks off her face.

”To be honest, I am not sure if either of them really knows why it happened. I am guessing Ichigo’s compassionate side just sort of drove him to try and help, no matter which way it was done.”

”I doubt he’d ever be compassionate enough to let some crazy shithead _fuck_ him just to make them feel better.”

Renji snorts, taking a gulp from his coffee and instantly regretting it, as the shit was bad. The woman hums and brings up her phone. Scrolling through her contacts, she stops at the one she knew was Harribel.

Perhaps... Rukia glances around, and then decides to call her.

”What are you doing?”

”If anyone can give us any further clue on what happened, it is Tia Harribel.”

”She is not exactly eager to talk about her former comrades. She would not even tell us the deal with that green haired woman she keeps visiting.”

”I know, but it’s worth a shot.”

After a moment, the blond woman did answer, nearly taking Rukia by surprise.

_”May I ask why are you calling me, Kuchiki? I thought our deal was I call you first.”_

The woman did not sound angry, just reminding her of a fact regarding to their deal.

”I know, it is just that I wish to speak to you about a matter that I feel you can enlighten us with.”

_”And what would that be? Remember I am not willing to share everything if I do not find it necessary.”_

”I just want to understand more about Jeagerjaquez.” The woman at the other end goes quiet for a moment.

_”Why do you wish to ask about him? Your Guard seems to have a fairly clear picture of the sort of man he is.”_

The woman seemed genuinely surprised about her inquiry. Rukia wasn't too surprised, as it felt a little ridiculous to be even considering that perhaps there was more to the blunet than the violent temper and sadism he had portrayed up until this point.

”That is the thing, Harribel; I am starting to think we only know the fact, that we know nothing at all.”

There is again a moment of silence at the other end, and Rukia could hear the lady pace around, before sitting down somewhere. Renji was watching her keenly, clearly curious to know what their contact was saying.

_”I am assuming it is Kurosaki that makes you doubt your impression.”_

”Ichigo, I’ve known him for a long time. He always believes there is good in people, but I cannot see him go as far as he did with Jeagerjaquez, if that man is exactly like what we think he is.”

_”....You are aware of the fact that Aizen used him to seduce people at times for Intel, are you not? He is very good at it.”_

Rukia sighs and rubs her eyes. Of course she knew, and her logical side feared that was what happened with Ichigo. However....her gut told her this was not the case.

”Ichigo is not that easy to seduce. While he is highly sympathetic, you cannot win him over as much as that man seemingly has just by being pretty and saying a few words. His mind and heart are stronger than that.”

Perhaps she was biased, and had misplaced trust in her friend. But Rukia also knew that her gut instinct was rarely wrong, so she wanted to know more if she could.

_”You have a lot of faith in your friend.”_

It was not mockery if any kind, Rukia could almost hear the woman smile. Harribel was a person who understood the importance of companionship and trust between the people after all.

”Can you please just... tell me the truth? We have been pondering this for so long now, and it is honestly making it hard to focus on the task at hand, when we cannot even be sure if our friend is safe.”

Again, both women fell silent. Rukia knew Harribel was reluctant to talk much about her comrades specifically, their pasts and such, what led then to Aizen. If she’d say no, that would be that; Rukia would not ask again. After a moment however, there is a tired sigh at the other end, before Harribel spoke again.

_”....Imagine that you are just a child, a young boy who doesn’t necessarily mean to harm anyone and everyone around you. You just want to live your life and do things your way. Imagine that this boy is trapped inside the mind of a violent beast that he barely has any control over. The boy doesn’t necessarily mean to do the things he does, but he is too weak against the brutal monster that also shares the body with him.”_

Rukia frowns at her clearly metaphorical words, but says nothing.

_”I am not certain how much you guardsmen have studied rare elemental types, but there is a specific trait, that comes with metahuman Lightning elementals; their mind is in constant chaos due to excessive signals caused by their element. It gets worse as they grow older.”_

Rukia’s eyes widen, as she begins to understand what the woman was saying; she had heard something akin to this from Ishida, a middle-class lightning elemental she was acquainted with. They had once discussed with him and Ichigo about why there were almost no metahuman levels of his type.

_”Being a metahuman lightning elemental is highly volatile for one’s mind and body; surely if the power doesn’t eat you alive, it has the tendency to drive the wielder into madness.”_

That was roughly what Ishida had said back then, and now... Harribel was seemingly confirming his words.

_”Grimmjow is...he is not entirely bad at heart. Aizen was the one who rotted him, fed into his violent side until he could barely control himself. Nel....my partner, she tried to help him.”_

Harribel goes quiet briefly, and Rukia figured the Nel she was referring to was the green haired woman who was in a coma. She did not ask the blond woman anything about it, sensing the topic of this lady was painful for her. Plus, they had agreed as a part of their deal to not ask questions about the comatosed lady, not as long as she was in the state she was right now.

After a moment, Harribel takes in a deep breath, before she continues.

_”She’d...she was always able to sense what kind of person one was, and she always told me that he should not be anywhere near Aizen. Back then, I did not believe her much, I always thought he was just a pure, maniac monster.”_

”...What changed your mind?”

_”....I saw how he reacted when Aizen executed Shawlong. I could tell at that moment that he had genuinely cared for the old man. He was angry beyond words. I had never seen him like that; never seen him openly upset about something.”_

Harribel hums, a sad smile on her lips that Rukia could not see.

_”After that, I think he lost it. Nelliel told me that it felt like he’d finally given up. That Grimmjow, the one that was born that day, is the one you know of the most.”_

Rukia remains quiet for a long moment, contemplating on what the woman had said.

”Then....what happened? With Ichigo to be precise?”

_”Shawlong was one of the few people who cared for him unconditionally. I suppose Kurosaki showed him the same kind of care, which managed to bring out the tiny bits of his kinder side from his childhood. Given his condition, it was not enough to stop him from going on a rampage, but it was enough to spare your friend.”_

Rukia glances at Renji, who was giving her a questioning look. She waves her hand, telling the man she’d explain him everything once the call ended. She had one last question to the woman.

”So are you saying, that Ichigo is indeed safe with him?”

Harribel remains silent for a moment, before replying.

_”Grimmjow is unpredictable, but if he starts caring for you, he tends to be highly loyal. I do not see him harming Kurosaki at this point.”_

Rukia noted how the woman sounded lightly uncertain, almost if she wanted to believe it herself, but feared she was wrong about her assumption. ”...I see. Thank you for sharing this with me, it helps clear some of the confusion with us regarding to this issue.” The raven haired officer thanks the woman.

_"I hope that has enlightened you enough so you can continue doing your duty, Kuchiki."_

After closing the call, she turns to look at Renji, who is beaming with curiosity.

”What did she say?”

Rukia shakes her head, nodding towards the door.

”Let’s talk about this in the car.”

 

 

 

 

Renji had no clue what to say on all that; if what Harribel said was true, then it was no wonder the bastard was so unpredictable and violent. It did not excuse his actions one bit though.

”So, what do we do now?”

Rukia holds her chin for a moment. They had gone through the entire town, even found out from the locals where Grimmjow’s apartment had been - the place had curiously burned down a day after he left - but nothing had yielded any clues. However....

”Say....there was this one lab you and Ichigo found nearby here.” Renji thinks back on it, and recalls the death-maze he and Ichigo had been trapped into. Embarrassingly, he had been knocked out during that ordeal, and had not woken up until Ichigo had already dragged his ass outside.

”I doubt it’s gonna have anything useful. Given we know about the place, they probably abandoned it.”

”But it might still have some clues. Now that they have abandoned it, it should be safe for us to explore.”

The woman had a point; it was as good of a clue as any.

 

 

 

 

Ichigo woke up to a sudden jolt, and he could feel the train slowly grind to a halt.

He looks around confused, his hair a mess. Grimmjow was resting beside him and also got up slowly, rubbing his eyes and cursing under his breath.

”What happened?”

Ichigo questions confused, and the blunet walks to the door, tugging it open slightly to peek outside.

After a moment he curses again and turns to look at Ichigo.

”A tree has fallen on the tracks; this thing cannot go any further.”

Ichigo frowns as he gets up, not liking that at all.

”How long do you think it will take for them to clear it?”

Grimmjow shrugs, cracking his neck. It could take anything from half an hour to several hours, depending on how fast they could get the equipment there and how heavy the tree was. Based on the size of the trunk he’d spotted, the several hours was a more likely answer.

”How far are we from Rukongai?”

Grimmjow glances outside again, noting that they had come out of the thicker part of the forest, and he could already see the town edge in the horizon.

”Not that far. We might as well walk at this point.”

Ichigo seemed surprised by his words, making the man look at him with lift eyebrow.

”It’s just... you were so reluctant about going there earlier, yet now you seem completely fine with it.”

Grimmjow huffs and rolls his eyes. ”Arguing with you about it is a waste of time.”

He states simply, opening the door once he was sure they would not be seen, and gestures Kurosaki to follow, as they quickly head away before the train workers notice their secret passengers.

”So, once we get there, what ya wanna do? Doubt we can go back to my apartment, as I bet they already destroyed it. If not, it’s a trap.”

Ichigo hums, following Grimmjow to a small pathway that went through the forest and into the railroad, likely leading to the edge of the city somewhere, perhaps the run down station or so.

”I...the area you found me in. Is there any buildings nearby there?”

Grimmjow frowns as he thinks about it for a moment.

”There is that old lab complex, but it makes no sense that they’d kept ya there.”

”Why?”

”Because we raided that place already. You and that pineapple friend of yers checked it out, and then I had to come and save yer ass.”

Grimmjow flashes a slight smirk at Ichigo upon noting his peeved face, but after a moment the annoyance was replaced by a frown that soon turned to surprise indicating the ginger had just received another memory.

”Yes, I...I remember now. We were there, and I was struggling with my powers for some reason...”

”Yeah; you were having trouble long before Szayel took you. Makes me think they were either messing with ya long before that, or something else is going on that we have no fucking clue about.”

Ichigo shudders a bit, not liking either of those ideas.

Based on the frown on Grimmjow’s face, he did not like the prospect either. In fact, Ichigo realized the man was now examining him closely as they walked, as if he was thinking about something. The ginger was not certain if Grimmjow was willing to share his thoughts, although he had been doing it a lot recently. So, having him ask the next question should not have come as much of a surprise as it did.

To be exact, have him ask something to seemingly confirm his suspicions should not have been a surprise, the question itself was odd.

”When did ya find out yer an elemental? If ya can recall that anyway.”

Ichigo blinks, looking at the man confused. Then, he turns his gaze away and thinks for a moment. His memory was blotchy, and he could not recall the exact events from past six months, but curiously enough, after recalling his sisters, remembering his childhood had become much easier.

”....When I was six or so, why?”

The blunet frowns at that, as if what Ichigo said didn’t make sense.

”That ain’t possible.”

”How so?”

”Middle-classes usually find out their power only once they’re teens.”

Ichigo frowns at that, then an image pops in his head. A sand blond hair, a hat....Urahara?

Right. Urahara was that doctor who had treated him, and given him the idea on how to stop Grimmjow’s overload.

Thinking back on that particular topic, Ichigo felt his heartbeat quicken, and he shifted closer to the blunet almost reflexively. If Grimmjow notices his sudden tenseness, he says nothing to it.

”I....feel like someone has said that to me before....”

Perhaps it was Urahara, given he popped into Ichigo’s mind when talking about this. Still though...

”Why does it matter when I found out?”

Grimmjow turns his gaze away, face in a deep frown as he thought about something.

”..... Middle-classes get their power later ’cause that way they are mature enough ta handle it. Same goes fer the weakest ones. Metahumans are different; given we can transform into our element, we oughta be able to do it from a very early age, as otherwise the first transformation will be so painful it can kill.”

Ichigo blinks, again a little surprised to find out how much Grimmjow knew about this whole elemental business. It was not that he thought the man was illiterate, far from it in fact; he just did not seem the type to care to know about science-y stuff like this.

He tries not to show his surprise in his face however, knowing how annoyed the man had gotten last time.

”That...sounds kind of dangerous. Having such powers already at a young age, especially with the likes of you...”

Grimmjow looks at him pointedly, but doesn’t seem offended.

”That’s why my kind are rare, dumbass; most other element types tend ta be balanced from the start and at a lower power level when yer a kid. Lightning is one of those types that are always chaotic.”

Ichigo frowns at that; it made him wonder just why exactly nature had created something so volatile to exist in this world. Sure, world worked in strange ways, but that still felt a little bizarre.

”It’s a trade-off fer the immense power my kind got; ya can fuck shit up alright, but yer at high risk of dying young, dying ’cause of overload later, or going crazy....”

Grimmjow counts with his fingers, then pauses, a dark grin spreading on his lips involuntarily.

”Did two of those three, well almost. Some dumb ginger cop decided I should not go and blow up into pieces.” Grimmjow glances at him again as he says those words, and it was hard to tell if he was miffed or glad about Ichigo’s choice back then.

Honestly, he was not sure himself, it was about fifty-fifty regarding to that topic.

Ichigo swallows down nervously, he was honestly not a huge fan of that kind of smile, as it hinted at the darker things Grimmjow had gone through and was capable of doing. The ginger shakes his head, trying to get back on topic; why had Grimmjow asked him about this in the first place?

As he ponders it for a brief moment while they walk along the path, the blunet’s train of thought slowly starts to clear to Ichigo as well.

”....Are you trying to say I might in fact have been the same level as you the whole time? That makes no sense, I’ve never been able to literally transform into fire!”

Grimmjow says nothing, just keeps his gaze ahead.

It was just a hunch, but...he found it honestly hard to believe Szayel would have been able to push Kurosaki up a level, not unless he was already capable of it.

”Grimm?”

So the nickname was back again huh? Another reminder how easily Kurosaki forgave shit. Too easily for Grimmjow’s taste, but he knew better than to try and talk sense to this stubborn fool anymore. If anything, his words at the train had confirmed Kurosaki would not listen to him no matter how much he told him that this was _not_ worth it.

_He was not worth it._

”Let’s just go and check that place out. I doubt we’ll find anything but it’s as good of a start as any, and we don’t hafta go to the town itself.” The blunet huffs out a sigh, brushing through his hair.

Ichigo nods after a moment, turning his gaze ahead as well as he pondered about their discussion in silence. Was it really true that Metahumans got their power earlier and others as teenagers?

If so, then his story definitely sounded strange.

Something was nagging at the back of his head, but Ichigo could not quite grasp the memory, no matter how hard he tried. The ginger shakes his head, gaining a lift eyebrow from his companion, but he says nothing. He can try to figure that one out later.

 

 

 

Rukia was admittedly a little disappointed; she had hoped her and Renji could in the end find out something from that place after all.

The laboratory was completely abandoned, broken down with signs of the battle from months ago still visible. As she examined some marks on the walls however, she could not stop but notice that they looked unusual.

”Renji, do you remember when Ichigo found you?”

”Nah; I was knocked out cold when he did apparently, because one of those bastards snuck up on me and used those elemental paralyzers.”The redhead was still clearly frustrated with himself for falling for such an obvious trap. Rukia did not blame him at all; it would have frustrated her as well.

”It’s peculiar...look at these marks.”

Renji directs his gaze to the burn patterns on the wall Rukia was pointing at.

He soon realized what she meant; the pattern did not look like what Ichigo’s flames would cause. It was more akin to some sort of strange fractal structure, like a riverbed or a vein. ....Or a lightning.

”.....Now when you said it, the guys we arrested did not look like they were burned.”

”What’s more, they seemed to be suffering from a short term memory loss. We thought it was just due to the blunt force trauma to their heads from the fight, but perhaps... it was something else.”

Renji’s eyes widen, as he starts to understand what she meant.

”That bastard was here?! With Ichigo and me?”

Rukia nods with a serious frown, holding her chin.

”If that is true.... we got a tip about this place from Harribel, which she likely got from Jeagerjaquez as he was her runner.”

”Meaning?”

”Why would he have come here the second time?”

Renji had no idea, nor did he understand why this was suddenly important.

”Perhaps....there was something else here, something he missed the first time, so he came back to search for it.”

Rukia mutters out, more to herself than her companion.

”Even if that were the case, it’s likely gone by now. Or we would have found it.”

Renji reminds the woman, honestly not wanting to be in there any longer than necessary. After a moment of just standing there and holding her chin, Rukia suddenly turns to Renji, and asks if he still had the notebook from Jeagerjaquez they had found from the burned down cabin.

”Yes, why?”

”Let me see it.”

They head back up and out from the place, and Renji digs out the evidence bag; they had intended to give it out to their forensics team, but Rukia had felt reluctant to do so, feeling it could be of more use in their hands than in the lab. Once Orihime had informed Rukia about Ichigo’s message, she had been glad that she’d insisted on keeping it.

”Why do you want to look into this again?”

”When did you and Ichigo search this place exactly?”

Rukia questions, searching through the notebook for a correct date once Renji mentions it. She clearly had some sort of an idea, but the redhead had no clue what it was. She’d likely tell him soon though, as suddenly her face goes into a deep frown, and Rukia seemed to be reading something intently.

”Found something?”

The woman just flips the notebook to show him the writing under that date.

**_”She shoulda have reconsidered before tellin’ em about this place, if she doesn’t trust them when it comes ta Oderschvank. Doubt the files are still in ’ere anyway.”_ **

”Oderschvank?”

Rukia looks at her companion intently.

”I believe that is the surname of the woman she requested us to bring to the Seireitei hospital secretly. The one she referred to as ’Nel’ or so.”

”Why wouldn’t she want us to see the files about her?”

”I am not entirely sure, but it seems that the green haired comatose patient is somehow important.”

Rukia mutters out, gazing at the writing in front of her. It was a little unnerving, thinking about just who exactly had written those words. The text she’d just red was dated a day before the last note about Ichigo.

Back when they had made a deal with her, they had agreed to not ask questions about the comatose patient, simply accepting her words that she was a ’family member’ whose life could be in jeopardy if they left her to her original hospital in Hueco Mundo.

”So...what are we gonna do now? Look through that place for a working computer?”

Rukia shakes her head, looking up at Renji with a frown.

”As you said, whatever files might have been here, likely aren't around anymore. I believe we must confront Harribel instead about this, as I have a feeling that this green haired woman might relate to why Ichigo was kidnapped.”

Renji lifts eyebrow at that, asking what gave her that idea.

Again, she says nothing, just shows him another sentence from the notebook.

**_”Harribel’s convinced that whatever happened ta Kurosaki is connected to her girlfriend. I don’t know if she’s just fucking paranoid or if there’s some truth to that, but if she IS right... those bastards might know I’m alive.”_ **

”It seems Harribel herself believes so.”

Rukia states with a serious tone, her grey eyes filled with determination.

Renji knew that look, it was the one she had when she was going to get the answers she wanted, no matter what. Even Tia Harribel would likely not be able to hold onto her secrets for long anymore.

Little did the two officers know that they were being monitored closely.

He had followed the two to Rukongai after seeing them leave, and had not been too surprised they’d end up back to this place. It was the only spot they knew for a fact Aizen used to own. He was fairly impressed about Kuchiki’s deduction skill, although he’d also always known she was fairly smart. What's more, he had heard from Szayel that Kurosaki and Jeagerjaquez were also heading to Rukongai right now.

Having them run into these two officers could be bad as it would make Szayel's job of capturing the two much harder, and he had no clue just how close those two were right now. In order to get back to Seireitei, they'd have to drive trough the town which increased the risk of the two duos meeting. What's more, the two would likely come and search this laboratory, as it was relatively close to where Kurosaki had escaped. 

Letting Abarai and Kuchiki go risked them meeting the escapees in the town, and finding a way to stall them would lead in the meeting happening here. 

 

”What to do, what to do, I wonder....”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, and this time more focused around the others.  
> Big stuff is going to happen soon, though not on the next chapter; I have a specific plan to the next chapter that sort of gives a bit of a break from the action of the story before a bigger event.  
> Calm before the storm so to say.


	11. Road to corruption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a special chapter, a flashback that summarizes Grimmjow's journey from the innocent child to what he is now. How an overactive but fairly well-meaning child became the violent, bitter maniac he is now.  
> Some heavy things coming in this chapter, be warned.

_He was always an overactive kid._

_Too active for his mother to keep up, too restless for his father to care._

_Despite that, he was not an unhappy child, at least not around his mother. She loved him dearly, and while she could not keep up with her incredibly quick little boy, she made sure he knew she loved him. When he asked why she kept dying his hair, she’d reassured the boy that she loved the color he actually had._

_”Your father just worries that bad people would come after you if they saw it.”_

_I_ _t was a lie, the boy knew it, she knew it, but neither knew what else to do._

_He hated it, not the hair dye, but how his dad forced her to do it, when she clearly did not want to._

_”_ _That boy will only bring suffering to our family, if anyone finds out what he is!”_

_Grimmjow never understood it. What did he do to make his dad hate him? He had never done anything bad to him, had he? His mum always told the boy that he was fine the way he was, with the blue hair, with the sparkling power he just happened to have. There was always an underlying sadness to her words, almost if she knew about something the boy did not, something sad._

~~_....Perhaps she’d known, of what often happened to his kind, of how short their lives could be._ ~~

_Regardless of this knowledge, she loved him, cherished her little boy as much as she could. That caused arguments. There was not a day in the Jeagerjaquez mansion that the boy did not hear his parents argue, mostly about him. His mother always told him to stay in his room and hide if he heard this. Grimmjow did not like it, but he did not want to go against his mother’s wishes._

_She was only trying to protect him._

_That one time he didn’t listen, things ended up badly._

_Despite her warnings, he had sneaked out of his room, gone to listen to what they were fighting about now._

_”You cannot give him away, he is our son!”_

_”That boy is dangerous; you know how his kind usually end up! They either die before they make use of themselves, or turn insane and destroy everything around them.”_

_”Our boy is not like that, if you’d spend some time with him you’d know it! He avoids using his power as much as he can!”_

_The man snorts, looking down at his wife with fury. Grimmjow had never seen his father so angry, it was terrifying to a small kid like him. His blue eyes widened as the man grasps his wife’s neck, yelling at her face angrily._

_”It doesn’t matter if he does it now; by the time he is older, his power will consume him, and you KNOW this is true! Stop trying to defend that little monster! He'll be of more use in the hands of scientists.”_

_His mother’s eyes had widened, and then she’d gotten mad. For the first time ever, Grimmjow had seen **fury** in his mother’s eyes, as she’d shoved her husband away, slapping him hard across his face._

_”Do NOT speak of your own child like that!” She had nearly screamed at his face, surprising her husband who was more used to having his wife be quiet and more submissive towards him._

_Her uncharacteristic reaction had made him really angry._

_Grimmjow watched in shock, as the man hit his mother, making her stumble to the floor._

_”How dare you speak to me like that? Do you not know your place, woman?!”_

_She just looked up at him defiantly, holding her injured shoulder._

_”Perhaps it is about time someone put YOU in your place.” The anger in his father’s face intensified, and he grasped her by the throat again as he pulled her off the floor, so hard that she coughed for air._

_”I should have never bothered marrying someone as weak as you.”_

_Grimmjow did not know what drove him to action; he had just seen the immense hate in his father’s eyes, and began to fear for his mother, so he’d leaped out of hiding._

**_”Leave her alone!”_ **

_The woman’s eyes widen as she sees her son standing on the corridor, his energy sparking around him to the point it made his hair stand a little._

_”Do not meddle into the business of adults, boy.” His father had told him coldly, shoving his wife aside as he stomped towards the kid._

_Despite his power and bravery, Grimmjow was still a child; he was afraid of his father’s anger more than anything._

_The boy backs away, eyes widening in fear. The man grasps him off the floor by his collar, that same cold look in his eyes._

_”There is someone that would like to meet you. I believe you will be much more use to him than me.”_

_His mother let out a sound of protest and rushed to them, trying to pry the confused, scared child off his hold._

_”I will not let you take him!” She near screamed at the man again, trying to reach for her son._

_He was not sure why it happened at that moment, perhaps it was his own panic causing it; elements on that level responded to the user’s emotional state after all. Just as his mother had managed to grasp his arm, a sudden bolt of energy left his body._

_Next thing Grimmjow knew, he fell to the floor as his father staggered backwards, while his mother was lying on the ground, bits of her clothing and hair looking like they had been burned._

_Her eyes were wide open in a permanently shocked look, but she was not moving._

_”M-mum?”_

_The boy slumps beside her, grasping her shoulder and shaking it._

_She did not react._

_She just looked at him with her widened eyes that had lost their vibrancy._

_”This is what I warned her about, foolish woman!” The man spats out after gathering himself, before glaring at the confused, frightened boy._

_”Look what you did! You almost hit me with that, and now she’s dead because of you!”_

_Mum was... dead?_

_No, it could not be!_

_”That shock stopped her heart clearly, she was always weak. How did she give birth to a freak of nature like you, I’ll never know.”_

_Grimmjow just stares at his hands that still had bits of that blue electricity dancing on them._

_”I..I didn’t...”_

_He did not mean to harm her._

_He'd just...tried to make them stop, make him stop._

_He hated seeing his mum upset._

_”It doesn’t matter if you meant it or not, boy. She’s gone and it’s your fault.” His father tells him harshly, walking towards the shocked little boy._

_His fault?_

**_.....No._ **

_Grimmjow stands up slowly, turning to look at his father. ”....You made me do this.”_

_The man stops, looking at the boy with an irritated frown._

_”Such nonsense; I did not tell you to use your power, you lost control of it as I thought you would!”_

**_”I was scared!”_ **

_The boy yells up at him, feeling his energy dance within him again._

_”If you actually knew how to use your power like your foolish mother said you could, you would not let fear control you! You’re weak, just like her.”_

_The despise in his tone made Grimmjow take a step back._

_Since when had his father hated his mum so much?_

_.....Why had she even loved him in the first place?_

_Had he ever really seen him be kind towards her? Ever act loving and not like she was just a daily irritation to deal with for appearance's sake?_

~~_No, he hadn't. The fucker apparently stopped being nice the second he was born._ ~~

_”Now, stop making that face and go back to your room! I’ll take care of this mess.”_

_The man states, gesturing towards the body on the floor. Why? His wife just died, and he was treating her like she was some object that had broken and he was disregarding it. Grimmjow just stares at the man, his earlier fear and shock replaced by something else._

_The boy had never felt like this before; it was a weird feeling, the kind that made him shake, but not with tears._

_”Move already!” The man spats at him, too foolish to notice the way the blue energy flickered around the shaken boy._

_”....No.”_

_”Are you talking back to your father? Insolent child!”_

_Grimmjow lifts his gaze off the ground, just as his father grasps him by the collar again, lifting him off the floor._

_”You should have never been born, none of this would have happened then!”_

_The boy says nothing, just grasps his father’s arm, looking at him right in the eyes. It almost felt like something else was controlling his tiny body right now._

**_”You should have never hurt mum!”_ **

_Grimmjow yells at him, as another burst of energy leaves his small body, bigger than ever before. The man’s eyes widen, before the full force of Grimmjow’s anger infused attack hits him, making him drop the boy and fly across the room, and through the wall inside a glowing blue ball of lightning. The boy breathes harshly, just staring at the destruction he’d caused._

_There was a giant hole in the wall, and scorch marks all around the walls and the floor._

_”Oh my god.... the boy attacked his own parents!”_

_Grimmjow whips around, seeing one of the mansion maids stare at him in fear, before quickly sprinting off before he could even say anything. A few seconds later, the manor security busts into the room, pointing their weapons at him. The boy felt fear hit him again, and another burst of energy leaves his body involuntarily, throwing the men aside and scorching them. He backs away and turns, sprinting to the hallway and out of the open window._

_He ran for a long time, up until his body began to glow, and the next thing he knew, a flash of light had brought him in an unknown place. Grimmjow slumps against the wall of the building._

_The events that had just happened began to finally hit his young, fragile mind, and the boy begins to cry._

_He curls up, and just weeps, the sound of his sniffles covered up by the rain hitting the streets around him._

_As the morning broke, he got up and began to wander the streets, not knowing what to do, or where to go._

_He was tired, he was hungry, and lost._

_This was not Hueco Mundo, the town was smaller, the faces unknown._

_They looked at him weird, made the boy scared. He quickly hid away again, afraid he’d have another burst._

~~_Back then, he didn’t want to hurt anyone._ ~~

_The boy wandered around the small town for days, hiding in the alleyways if he began to feel too anxious. People mostly ignored him, as he seemed to be another street kid that lived in that place. Some told him to go away harshly; others attempted to lure the boy to come with them, up until they noticed the vivid blue hair. The blond hair dye had almost washed off again. Other kids avoided him out of fear._

_He didn’t wanna hurt anyone, but everybody assumed he would._

_Grimmjow did not know how much he’d been walking around, when he finally collapsed to the ground out of exhaustion._

_He had not drank or eaten for several days, as no one would give the boy a time of their day, and if he tried to steal, the shop owner would yell at him, causing an anxiousness that drove the boy away, in fear he’d just accidentally kill someone again._

_A shadow appears above him, but the boy was too tired, and his vision blacks out._

 

 

_When he woke up, the boy was lying on a bed._

_He sits up abruptly, looking around with widened eyes. It was a small room he was in, and based on the light outside, it was nighttime. Moments later, an older man steps in the room, smiling as he notices the boy was awake._

_”Don’t be afraid child; I won’t hurt you.” The old man states calmly as he sees the way the boy backed away against the wall behind him._

_”That is not what I am worried about.”_

_The kid tells the man, who just paces to the chair beside the bed and sits down on it._

_”You are an elemental, correct? Are you perhaps worried that your ability will go out of control?”_

_Grimmjow just nods, too afraid to move an inch._

_”Calm your heart, child; fear is what triggers those of your level. There is nothing to be afraid of here.” The man had a calming voice and aura to him. After a moment, Grimmjow relaxes slowly and leaves the wall, although he still gazes at the man uneasy._

_”My name is Shawlong; I own this orphanage. What is your name child?”_

_Orphanage?_

_....That’s right, he was an orphan now.... The boy began to tear up again, and he hides his face, not wanting to break down in front of a stranger like that._

_The man just hushes him, telling him it was okay._

_”I suppose something awful happened to you just recently. It is alright, you don’t have to answer my questions yet if you do not feel ready for it.”_

_The boy just stares at him, then his stomach growls loudly._

_The old man chuckles as the boy blushes embarrassed, and tells him he’ll get him something to eat._

_”You look like you haven’t eaten in days after all.”_

 

_The food was good; Grimmjow had not noticed just how hungry he was, not until he was devouring his third plate of food. Some of the kids from the orphanage were peeking st him curiously from the kitchen doorway, but did not enter as the old man told them to give the new child space. Once he was finally done, Grimmjow looks at the old man uncertain._

_”You do not have to share anything with us if you do not want to, boy.”_

_The man reminds him gently._

_Grimmjow just nods after a moment, thanking the man for the food._

_”You’re welcome. You are also free to stay if you don’t have a place to go.”_

_Grimmjow glances at the other kids on the doorway, then back at his hands, anxiety tugging in his gut again. ”I shouldn’t. I cannot...” Shawlong sighs and shakes his head, crouching so he was on eye level with the child._

_”We have other elemental children here, who have said the same as you. Yet they are doing just fine.”_

_Carefully, he reaches for the boy, and squeezes his shoulder encouragingly. Grimmjow flinches, though he was more afraid of hurting the old man rather than the man hurting him._

_”Don’t be scared, boy. You’ll be safe here, and we can help you to learn how to deal with your power.”_

_After a moment of silence, the blue haired boy nods. He did not know why, but he trusted the old man; his words sounded genuine._

 

 

 

 

_”Grimmjow wait!”_

_The blunet turns to look at the blond boy who had followed him to the roof._

_He had a habit of going to the rooftops of the town and just sort of jump around, using his teleportation ability. It was a safe practice for him to train his abilities without hurting anyone accidentally._

_Still, he did not like having someone follow him when he did this._

_The blond stops near him and breathes harshly, trying to catch his breath. His name was... what was it again?_

_”_ _We are going to the nearby lake today with Shawlong-san, he wanted to ask if you’d come too.”_

_”Don’t wanna.”_

_Grimmjow mutters out, turning his gaze away. He had been there for over two months now, but still did not like being near other kids._

_For his annoyance, they were quite curious about him due to his wild hair, and the abilities he had as the other kids had never seen someone like him before. Even though majority of the children in the house were elementals, someone of his level was a rarity._

_”Oh come on; you always avoid us! It’s going to be fine, Shawlong-san says it will.”_

_Grimmjow shakes his head, turning to glare at the blond kid, who backs away slightly._

_For a child his age, Grimmjow had a scary look to him if he willed it._

~~_Probably a sign of what was to come._ ~~

_”I don’t want to!”_

_The blond kid just sighs and shakes his head after a moment._

_”Didn’t he say you should not be afraid of your power, as fear is what makes you unable to use it.”_

_”Leave me alone!” Grimmjow spat at the blond, before teleporting away to the next roof._

 

 

 

_He was awake in his bed._

_There had been people around town, asking about him._

_Probably those investigating what happened to his parents. They had come to talk to Shawlong too, but the man had not said anything about Grimmjow being there. The blunet sighs and sits up, just hugging his knees._

_A moment later, the door opens, and the old man steps in. He walks to the bed and sits at the feet end, gazing at Grimmjow with his usual gentle smile, although it was a bit strained this time, laced with concern._

_”....You are the missing Jeagerjaquez child, are you not?”_

_Grimmjow just nods. He had never told his surname to the old man._

_”....Whatever happened back then, it wasn’t your fault.”_

_Shawlong tells him gently, and the boy stiffens, hiding his face as tears began to seep out again. He'd avoided thinking about this, but now that the old man brought it up, he couldn't stop himself from crying._

_”....I didn’t mean to...not mum. I just...”_

_Shawlong reaches for the boy and brushes his hair gently, hushing him once again._

_”You were afraid. Believe me Grimmjow, I have heard this story before. A few elemental kids that have passed trough my house have also ended up harming those they care accidentally.”_

_Grimmjow lifts his gaze, looking at the old man skeptic._

_His eyes were slightly reddish from tears he’d attempted to hold back and hide._

_”I doubt that; you said I was the first lightning type of my level you ever met.”_

_The old man smiles a bit, still petting his hair. ”That might be true, but other elements can be harmful too, if one does not teach the child how to use them properly.”_

_Shawlong tells him, shifting his hand to squeeze the boy’s shoulder._

_”You have been here for almost six months now, and you still haven’t harmed anybody.”_

_Grimmjow says nothing, just turns his gaze to the bedsheets, avoiding the old man’s eyes._

_”Other kids want to get to know you. Yltford and Di-Roy have especially been curious; they think you’re cool.”_

_The boy looks up at him confused, and the old man chuckles a bit._

_”The second they saw you teleport around the way you did, they both instantly thought it was ’the coolest thing ever since ice cream’ as they put it.”_

_Grimmjow did not know what to think about that. He had not had any friends back in Hueco Mundo. Not, because his father had not let him near any other kids. Perhaps....perhaps he could do that here._

_”Give them a chance. Unlike most people you seem to have faced so far, they aren’t afraid of you.”_

 

 

 

 

_The new kid was scrawny, pale like a ghost and had raven hair._

_Grimmjow did not think much of him initially, if anything, the boy creeped him out like hell, though not as much as he seemed to freak others out._

_”He looks so weird, just staring ahead most of the time like that.”_

_Di-Roy whispers to him, as they watch the boy eat in the quietest corner of the small dining room._

_Grimmjow says nothing to that, just proceeds to eat his food; the new kid was none of his business really. He clearly wanted to be left alone for now, and since the blunet knew how that felt like, he was not about to gossip over him. It did not seem to stop his friends though._

_”I know! I heard he’s also a metahuman like Grimm, and that’s why he looks so weird.”_

_Yltfordt joins in the conversation._

_”Wasn’t that just a rumour though? We don’t really know if he is or not.” Their biggest companion, Edrad comments, glancing at the pale kid curiously._

_”Wonder what type he is then, being all gloomy like that?” Di-Roy questions, looking at the kid now as well._

_Grimmjow still remains quiet, just listens to them speculate about the newbie; if the boy was a metahuman level, it would be pretty surprising given the only other ones on that level were Grimmjow, and Yltfordt’s weird-ass little brother Szayel. The pinkie spent most of his time indoors, doing some weird science experiments that most other kids found gross._

_As Grimmjow glances at the new kid, he notices the green eyes were now watching them. His expression was mostly blank, but there was a level of uneasiness hidden deep beneath those green eyes._

_The blunet snorts and turns at his friends, slamming his glass to the table loud enough to gain their attention._

_”If you guys absolutely want to know, just ask him.”_

_He tells the trio irritated, before grabbing his stuff and bringing it to the sink, which was almost full at this point; they were the last kids on lunch, hence it was so full of dishes. The group glance at the new kid, who quickly turns his gaze away, indicating he did not want to talk to anyone right now. However, as the group heads out of the dining room, the green eyes glance at the blunet curiously._

 

 

 

 

_”He keeps following us.”_

_Di-Roy informs him, glancing behind them on the forest path; Shawlong had brought the kids out for a walk as the weather was relatively nice._

_Being the rebellious group they were, Grimmjow and his trio of friends had headed out for exploring despite Shawlong’s request that everybody would remain close by. They had not gone off alone however; the new kid was following them._

_He had been doing that for weeks now, ever since that incident in the dining room._

_It was weird, and creeped him out._

_”Should we try to shake him off?” Edrad asks from the blunet; over the past two years or so, Grimmjow had become the de-facto leader of their little group, so each time they were wondering what to do, they’d ask his opinion on it._

_Grimmjow was not certain how this happened, given he had not grown up making friends or anything._

_He just.... he liked bossing the trio around, perhaps because he had never had a chance to do so before._

_To have friends._

_Friends who idolized him enough to pretty much do almost anything he asked. It was new to him, but he also liked it. _

_”No point; he seems to be able to follow us regardless.” Grimmjow comments with a shrug, deciding to ignore the weird kid for now._

_Whatever he was doing was none of his business anyway. They head for the nearby lake, and Di-Roy is the first to jump into the water after shrugging most of his clothes off, given it was a hot day._

_The water wasn’t exactly the clearest, murky brown color, but seemed to be good enough for swimming._

_Grimmjow did not enter the water, though not because he was afraid of water or anything; it was just that water conducted electricity, so he preferred to not enter a large pool of it with others in it as well._

_”Oh come on Grimm, the water is nice!” Yltfordt tries to encourage his friend to join them, but Grimmjow just ignored him, slumping down under the nearest tree and crossing his arms behind his head, closing his eyes._

_He did not feel hot enough to go for a swim anyway. After a moment, the young boy almost drifts asleep, up until he feels a shadow near him, and a pair of eyes staring at him. The blunet sits up and looks up, finding the raven haired boy standing beside him, green eyes staring at him with that typical curious look. He was wearing an oversized green shirt and shabby shorts with sandals, his hair in a ponytail._

_”What?” Grimmjow stares back at him with a frown._

_The pale boy averts his gaze towards the lake without a word, making Grimmjow look at that direction as well. His friends were currently having a water-fight, which Di-Roy was winning. It was not too surprising given he had begun to show signs of being a water-elemental, although his power would likely not activate properly until a few years later from now._

_”Why don’t you join them?”_

_The pale boy asks, his voice was very quiet and soft, as if he was not used to talking._

_”Don’t feel like it.” Grimmjow comments with a shrug, not feeling like explaining the new kid about his power and it’s complications._

_”.....You’re worried you might accidentally zap them.”_

_The blunet frowns and stares at the kid; how did this weird boy know about that?_

_”I have heard of your ability, so it is not hard to deduce.” The raven haired boy told him with his monotone voice, turning the green eyes back at Grimmjow._

_It was freaky as hell, but unlike others, the boy’s emotionless expression annoyed him more than unnerved, like with other kids._

_”Whatever. Why are you following us?”_

_”I was not following your group.”_

_Grimmjow snorts at that, getting up and wiping the dust and grass off his shorts._

_”Don’t lie, we saw you. I almost always see you when you do.”_

_The boy seemed curious about his words. ”You do?”_

_”Yeah. That gloomy aura is so easy to spot.”_

_The blunet tells him with a shrug, then shields his eyes from sunlight as he looks for his friends; they had stopped their water fight, and were just swimming around now, enjoying the cool waters._

_”So is yours.”_

_Grimmjow glances at the boy with a lift eyebrow._

_”Your elemental aura I mean; nobody else in the orphanage has as strong one as you do.”_

_Grimmjow shrugs again, as that did not really mean much to him anyway._

 

 

 

_There had been kids going missing lately in Menos._

_Rumors were it was some group that kidnapped them for child labor or to be sold somewhere. It was not particularly new to this area, but it had been happening more often than usual. Shawlong had asked all the kids to stay indoors for now, and not venture outside without permission. He had especially said this to Grimmjow and his group, who were known to head out to their own little adventures a lot._

_Today though, none of them even wanted to go out, not when it rained cats and dogs outside._

_So, the four was stuck in Grimmjow’s room, just sort of lazing around and having nothing to do. It was boring as heck, and the blunet gazed out of the window, watching the rain hit the streets._

_Then, his eyes spot something strange. Why was Ulquiorra outside in this weather? He watched with a frown as the raven haired kid looks around as if to check he wasn’t followed, and then heads over the street, clearly going somewhere._

_”Huh, why is he outside? Shawlong san told us not to go or we might be snatched!” Di-Roy asks as he peeks out of the window as well and spots Ulquiorra._

_”Well that’s his problem then; if he gets kidnapped, it’s his own fault for ignoring what Shawlong san said.” Edrad comments with a shrug._

_He did not care much for the raven haired kid, he was too creepy for most of them anyway._

_Grimmjow remains quiet for a moment, then suddenly gets up and opens the window, letting some rain in._

_”What are you doing?” Di-Roy asks confused, but the blunet just tells them to stay there and jumps down, heading after the pale figure._

 

 

 

_He finds Ulquiorra from an abandoned apartment complex near the edge of the city._

_He was not alone, there were two men, one of them having grabbed Ulquiorra while the other had stunned the boy with something._

_Grimmjow’s heart began to race; his instinct had been correct to warn him, those two men were likely the kidnappers going around, and were now trying to take the unconscious raven haired boy to who knows where._

_Grimmjow did not particularly like the creepy kid, but Ulquiorra had never done anything to not deserve his help either._

_Being weird did not really mean Grimmjow would just leave him hanging in this situation._

_The blunet quickly sneaks in and follows the two, who were heading towards the back-door._

_Grimmjow sneaks ahead of them, and uses his lightning to bust a tire from their car parked behind the building, by electrocuting it long enough for the tire to heat up and burst._

_”What was that?”_

_One of the men asks as he hears the sound, and the two rush to the door, finding that the tire had indeed burst._

_Before they could process anything further, Grimmjow jumps out from hiding behind the vehicle, and kicks the guy holding Ulquiorra in the face, making the man stumble back and drop the raven haired male, whom Grimmjow quickly snatches and takes on his back, thankful that the pale kid wasn’t so heavy._

_However, as he enters back to the house in order to sprint to the front door, his path is blocked by a third guy he had not noticed._

_The boy glances behind him, realizing he was cornered._

_”You are a slippery little one, are you not?”_

_The man chuckles, holding a gun in his hand._

_Grimmjow was not too concerned about firearms given bullets could just pass trough his body if he transformed into his element. It was just that in doing so he’d scorch the pale kid on his back likely, which would sort of defeat the point of his actions._

_”That brat socked me in the jaw!” The man he had kicked spat out, clearly eager to get his hands on Grimmjow._

_”Let’s just take both of them, I bet boss will be happy.” The third one comments calmly, gaining a hiss from Grimmjow as he backed away, still carrying the raven haired kid on his back._

_”I dare ya; I’ll scorch all of you if you try to lay a hand on us!”_

_The man blocking the front door lifts eyebrow, then notes the small sparkles dancing around the boy._

_”Lightning type I assume? Aren’t you a rarity.”_

_Grimmjow just glares at the man, trying to figure out what to do; he could not teleport like this, not when he was carrying Ulquiorra._

_Why did the idiot have to get knocked out?_

_”I’m warning ya; I will really do it.”_

_Grimmjow hisses at them again, while still backing away, towards the stairs._

_”Yeah yeah, you’re what? Eleven or twelve? An elemental of yer age cannot do much to us anyway.” The guy holding his jaw snorts, clearly not impressed by the kid’s bravado._

_In truth, they should have been more cautious, but the trio did not realize that the child in front of them was not in fact just a middle-class at the early stages of his power development._

_They learned it the hard way._

_One of the men suddenly rushes towards the kid, using a stun-gun of sorts to try and knock him out._

_Instead,the gun gets overloaded and bursts into his face, sending the man stumble backwards as several seizures rattled his body._

_”Wha...What the hell was that?!”_

_The other guy glances at the man on the doorway - clearly a boss of sorts - who also was stunned._

_”His device was....overloaded?”_

_The man frowns and stares at Grimmjow, who just smirks at the man, while backing up the stairs._

_”Warned ya.”_

_”Boy...what class are you?”_

_Grimmjow’s grin just widened, although he was pretty damn terrified right now; he was hindranced when it came to movement due to Ulquiorra still being knocked out cold._

_”Metahuman.”_

_The man pales, and his underling splutters out, before urging his boss that they had to leave._

_”The kid could explode at any moment!”_

_Grimmjow glances at the man confused._

_Explode?_

_What did that mean?_

~~_Had he known it back then, perhaps he'd been more careful about using his power at that age._ ~~

~~_.....Probably not._ ~~

_The boss doesn’t seem as terrified however, as a slight amused smile appears on his face._

_”A metahuman? You are even rarer then I first assumed. Our boss would love to have a specimen like you; you must sell handsomely given the rarity.”_

_Grimmjow hisses at the man, spitting at him._

_Due to the angle given he was high up the stairs, it actually lands on the guy’s face, making him wipe it away with a miffed look._

_”Clearly some manners would have to be installed first.”_

_”Boss, this is crazy! Just leave them, we gotta leave before that brat goes berserk!” The minion urges his leader, who was completely ignoring him right now._

_The man starts walking upstairs, forcing the boy to back away. If only Ulquiorra would wake up, he could perhaps deal with these two._

_”I recommend coming quietly, child. You probably do not want to accidentally harm that friend of yours.”_

_Grimmjow almost snorted at that. Friend?_

_Hah._

_”He’s just some creepy ass kid that happens to live in the same house.”_

_The man lifts eyebrow at that, still clearly amused. He had cornered the child to a corner of the upstairs room, much to Grimmjow’s dismay._

_”Then why did you come and save him?” Grimmjow glances at the raven haired kid on his back._

_Yeah, why did he bother?_

_The blue eyes turn back at the man._

_”_ _Cause I wanted to.”_

 

~~_Fucking hell, he used to sound like Kurosaki a lot._ ~~

 

_”Fair enough.”_

_The man attempts to use a weird looking weapon on him, but suddenly a black tendril rose from the ground and grabbed his hand, forcing the weapon off him, before more of those things appeared and enveloped the struggling adult almost completely._

_Grimmjow just stares at the scene baffled, then realizes that Ulquiorra was awake, staring at the man as his eyes glowed strangely._

_Grimmjow suddenly realizes, that he was the one controlling those things._

_”It is not nice to threaten a child.” Ulquiorra states softly, the black vines tightening around the man slowly._

_After witnessing what was happening, the man downstairs just sprints outside, not wanting to deal with this at all. Grimmjow drops the pale boy to the floor in shock and backs away, staring between him and the mass of shadows that had cocooned the man._

_”You....control shadows?”_

_Ulquiorra brushes dust off him and gazes at Grimmjow for a moment, before nodding._

_He had never seen anyone do that. No wonder people found Ulquiorra so freaky._

_”Thank you, for coming to save me.” He suddenly states, and Grimmjow stares at the boy baffled, until his temper flares suddenly._

_”Don’t thank me! You weren’t supposed to even GO outside you stupid moron! Why did you do that anyway?!”_

_Before Ulquiorra could answer, something suddenly cuts trough the shadows, and they both watch in shock as light emits from the man, dissipating the shadows around him._

_”I see I see. I did hear rumors there was a shadow child in here, but I’d never have guessed I’d end up picking two rarities.” The man chuckles, then flashes a bright light at the two, blinding them._

_Grimmjow felt as something big approached him, likely the man was trying to grab the boy._

_He did not do it on purpose._

_He was just so agitated, that his power flared again, and a large blast of energy hits the man, scorching his chest and making him stumble backwards, down the stairs._

_A thud, and a snap._

_Grimmjow paces to the stairs cautiously, and peeks down at the man. He had a horrid injury on his chest, his flesh was burnt and the smell coming off from it was horrible. What’s more, his head was in a weird position and he wasn’t breathing._

_”He broke his neck.” Ulquiorra observes, making the blue eyes stare up at him in shock._

_Grimmjow backs away and stumbles to the ground, feeling a familiar terror creep up to him._

_He’d killed someone by accident again._

_That one thing he'd wanted to avoid._

 

~~_He was such a wimp back then._ ~~

 

_The raven haired male observes his companion curiously, having never seen the rebellious rough kid look so spooked._

_”I didn’t....”_

_Panic began to raise in his throat._

_He’d killed someone again._

_He couldn’t stay here._

_Paralyzed by the white noise in his head, Grimmjow doesn’t notice the other boy walking to him, not until a hesitant pale hand lands on his shoulder. The blue eyes snap up at Ulquiorra, and now they were filled with anger._

_”This is your fault! If you hadn’t ran off like that, this would not have happened!”_

_”You chose to come after me.” _

_Ulquiorra reminds him, seemingly not intimidated by the stare aimed at him._

_Grimmjow shoves the boy further away as he gets up, his eyes burning right trough the raven boy’s skull._

_”You MADE me have to make that choice! If you hadn’t gone out like the dumbass you are...”_

_”I could have protected myself.”_

_”As if! By the time I found you, you were knocked out!”_

_Ulquiorra sighs, brushing trough his long hair._

_”I was not that unconscious. I woke up by the time you picked me up.”_

_Grimmjow just glares at him._

_”Why did you pretend to be out cold then?! If you are so capable of handling yourself?”_

_Ulquiorra remains quiet for a long moment, those hollow green eyes examining him with the usual curiosity._

_”I wanted to know why did you come and save me. You don’t seem to like me much, just like the others...”_

_Grimmjow just stares at him, as if Ulquiorra’s question was somehow stupid._

 

~~_The fact his kid-self would get Kurosaki was irritating._ ~~

 

_”Why wouldn’t I? It’s not like you’ve done anything bad to not deserve help. You’re just a creepy ass kid nobody gets.”_

 

_”I see...”_

_There was actually a hint of a smile on Ulquiorra’s face now._

_A noise from outside catches their attention, and the raven haired male gestures Grimmjow to follow him._

_Giving one last glance at the dead man downstairs, Grimmjow swallows down nervously and follows the boy, not really wanting to get caught by whoever was entering the place. Ulquiorra leads him to the other end of the complex and down the emergency stairs, until they reach the small alleyway beside the building._

_”I actually came here to meet someone, but it seems those men scared her away.”_

_”Her?”_

_Ulquiorra shushes him, and moments later, something peeks at them from behind the nearby trashcans._

_A white cat._

_Grimmjow watches in confusion as Ulquiorra crouches down and waits, and eventually the white feline paces closer, smelling his hand cautiously._

_”She lives in this old building alongside few other cats. I made friends with her when I stayed here.”_

_Grimmjow just gazes at the cat, baffled that someone would go out like this, risking their safety, for a tiny fur ball like this. Granted, the cat was...cute, but still._

_”I kind of wish I could bring her to the orphanage, but some kids have allergies.”_

_Ulquiorra sighs, petting the cat’s head now._

_She was clearly used to the raven haired boy and not afraid of him._

_After a moment, the cat perks her head and looks at Grimmjow, who was still highly tense due to what just happened. The cat seemed to notice his tenseness, as it backed away slightly, clearly uneasy about his presence._

_”Calm down; you are making her upset.”_

_”Her? I just killed a guy accidentally, and you’re worried the damn CAT will freak out?!”_

_That outburst naturally made the feline hiss and sprint back into hiding, making Ulquiorra frown and look up at him._

_”It was an accident, you were just defending yourself.”_

_Grimmjow shakes his head and rubs his eyes, feeling his anxiety increase again._

_”I didn’t...I was supposed to be able to control it by now dammit!”_

_Ulquiorra watches him silently for a moment, then pushes himself off the ground and grasp Grimmjow’s shoulders, making the boy freeze and look at him._

_”There is no point in you panicking about this. You cannot take back what happened.”_

_Grimmjow just stares at him, clearly wanting to argue or just punch the raven haired kid, but he does neither, too afraid that he’ll accidentally fry the raven boy too. At that point, he still cared._

_”Think of it this way; you saved me. Who knows where they would’ve taken me if you hadn’t intervened. What happened to that man was an accident, as you could not have known your power would burst out of control like that, for you had been doing well with it.”_

_Ulquiorra reasons with him, squeezing the shaking boy’s shoulders._

_”Don’t let this bring you down; you are a strong-willed individual, I could tell that from the moment we met.”_

_Grimmjow just stares at him, having nothing to say._

_”Life can be harsh on people like us, but we’re not alone in it.”_

_Sometimes, Ulquiorra sounded older than he was._

 

 

 

_After that incident, he had begun to visit the cat with Ulquiorra._

_The boy did not know what obliged him to do so._

_Perhaps, subconscious part of him was concerned the boy would get kidnapped if he didn’t watch his back._

_His friends often inquired where he went with the raven haired boy, but he would just shrug them off, telling them that somebody had to make sure the dumbass would not end up getting snatched or something._

_The cat had slowly began to trust him, and after he’d brought it food, the fur ball had pretty much jumped into his lap and started purring, clearly declaring him as her new favorite. Ulquiorra would smile lightly at it, even if he never said anything._

_”She got a name?” He asked one time._

_”No, I thought perhaps you could name her given she seems to like you a lot.”_

_Grimmjow examines the cat, who was currently stalking a small butterfly on a windowsill, trying to catch it. She looked almost like a lion ready to pounce at her prey. Except, she had no mane._

_”....I’m gonna call her Pantera.”_

_Ulquiorra looks at him curiously._

_”Doesn’t that refer to a male? Given it means Panther king.”_

_”So what? Girls can be kings too.” Grimmjow shrugs, smirking as the cat jumps and fails to catch the butterfly._

_"The right term would be a Queen I believe."_

_"Shaddup, geek."_

_Ulquiorra smiles at that comment briefly, and it was about as weird to see the smile as it always was, given how rarely he did it around others, if at all._

_”Why a panther specifically?”_

_The blunet shrugs, and watches as the cat attempts to catch the bug again._

_”First thought of a lion, but she doesn’t have a fluffy enough fur for it, so a panther.”_

_Ulquiorra hums, then nods, seemingly accepting the name._

 

 

 

 

_Few years went by, and things began to change._

_The older kids left the house, new ones entered, including two crybaby girls Grimmjow did not care much about._

_Loly and Menoly or so._

_Quite a few of the children began to unlock their elemental power, and it was actually quite surprising how many there was._

_All three of Grimmjow’s friends had unlocked an elemental energy for themselves, not just Di-Roy who had shown signs of it first._

_Perhaps someone would have found it weird, that there were so many elemental kids in this one house, but Grimmjow did not care._

_He was used to it._

_Shawlong at times spoke on a phone to someone regarding to the elemental children, apparently the older ones went to work to whoever he spoke to. Grimmjow had no clue what kind of work it was, but he did not really care either._

_Another change that had happened was him._

_It was natural for kids to grow and change physically when they hit puberty; in Grimmjow’s gaze it had hit him more favorably than with some others._

_Instead of the awkward clumsiness and skin problems, he’d just grown taller and stopped being scrawny._

_In fact, he had began to turn heads on the streets, even the older girls checked him out at times._

_His friends thought it was funny, Grimmjow just found it annoying. So he was apparently a bit of a looker now, so what?_

_The biggest change in him however, had been far bigger than with most others, namely when it came to his element._

_By the time he was fifteen, Grimmjow had mastered his element finally, and by finally it meant he was no longer having random outbursts within a month after his thirteenth birthday._

_They’d just stopped._

_Not only that, but he seemed to be far better at mastering his own element compared to other kids, even Ulquiorra and Szayel who were also metahuman class, and their elements were less unstable._

_Apparently it had something to do with Grimmjow having a certain kind of natural instincts to match his power, as Shawlong had once explained when he’d asked about it._

_However, while his outbursts had stopped, there had been another change to him, a change that concerned Shawlong._

_The boy had slowly become more aggressive overtime, no longer trying to avoid conflict on fear of hurting people he cared about._

_Grimmjow and his gang was in fact known to be getting in trouble around Menos a lot._

_Not a week went by without the man having to settle a mess those four had made._

_Shawlong had always had slight fears that something akin to this would happen, but he had initially thought that perhaps Grimmjow would break the pattern with his kindred, given how kind-hearted child he was despite his roughness._

_Now however... he began to see familiar signs._

**_Aggression._ **

**_Tendency to be easily irritated._ **

**_Temper problems._ **

**_Habit to end up in fights._ **

_Grimmjow had clearly began to suffer from what the old man had hoped he would not end up dealing with._

_”Shawlong-san! It’s them again, they caused a mess in the market place!” The pigtailed girl runs to his office, tugging on his sleeve._

_The old man sighs and gets up, heading towards the area that worked as a sort of a small medical bay for the kids. Edrad was sitting on the bed, his arm wrapped in bandage, but the large teen did not seem too bothered about the state he was in, casually joking with Di-Roy, whose head was also bandaged._

_”We sure showed those morons good!” The large teen booms, then quickly turns quiet as he sees their caretaker on the doorway._

_The trio at least looked kind of regretful about their actions, but the old man did not care for them._

_”_ _Where is Grimmjow?” The boys just nod upstairs, indicating the teen had gone to his room._

_Sure enough, Grimmjow was sitting on the windowsill of his open window, staring outside with a distant look. He was completely unharmed, a hint about the power difference between him and his friends._

_”We need to talk.”_

_Shawlong sighs and closes the door behind him, walking to sit down on the teen’s bed. Slowly, the blue eyes drift towards him. There was no hint of remorse in them. He was not ashamed of his actions, not regretful at least tiny bit, not even in a sense that he felt bad of getting caught by his caretaker, like his friends had been._

_”What happened now?”_

_For a moment, the teen doesn’t speak._

_”Some thugs were pissing us off, that all.”_

_”...and what did they do to piss you off?”_

_Grimmjow shrugs, clearly not interested in talking about this._

_”Grimmjow. I need you to understand, you cannot just go and beat up anybody you do not like.”_

_The teen snorts and turns to look at him again. The brightness of his eyes from his childhood had dimmed, replaced by a certain kind of sharpness. Sharpness of a hunter._

_”So I’m supposed ta let folk walk all over me? I’m done with that, pops did it enough with me.”_

_”Is it really worth it though? I am guessing this ’thug’ was a human again. They are much weaker than you.”_

_”Don’t fucking matter. I ain’t having them talk shit about you.”_

_Shawlong goes quiet, then sighs with a slight smile. So that’s what had happened now?_

_Grimmjow had the tendency to get defensive over his caretaker, and there often were rumors circling around about him and his motivations to take in so many elemental kids. The blunet was the first to defend him, only that in the past it had just been words. Now, Shawlong worried Grimmjow could end up actually killing someone - on purpose. _

_”Grimmjow. I need you to understand; the urge you might get during those moments, it is not necessarily what you really want to do.”_

_”The hell is that supposed ta mean?”_

_The old man sighs again, rubbing his eyes. He had avoided talking about this to the boy for a long time now, mainly because he had hoped he’d never have to have this conversation. But now... it seemed inevitable._

_”Your kindred are special; they are highly powerful.”_

_The blunet snorts and rolls his eyes, muttering ’no shit’ under his breath._

_”...But it comes with a prize usually. And I am seeing signs of that prize being taken from you right now.”_

_”The fuck does that mean?”_

_Shawlong reaches out, tapping his forehead with a finger._

_”Your aggression is caused by your element. Not your actual self. It is what some refer to ’lightning madness’ and tends to affect majority of metahuman class lightning elementals.”_

_Grimmjow lifts eyebrow confused; he’d never heard of anything like this._

_”Your power is giving your brain too much signals, causing a sensory overload. That is why you have these violent urges.”_

_The blunet remains quiet, his face in a slight frown. Then, he just shrugs and gazes out of the window again, seemingly not concerned about it._

_”Don’t really care.”_

_Shawlong was not surprised about that answer._

_”I just want you to know, so you can...consider your actions from now on. I’d rather not see another child of mine succumb to this.”_

_Grimmjow says nothing, and the old man gets up, heading to the doorway. He pauses however as the teen speaks again. ”_

_....What happened ta the previous one?”_

_”He died rather young.”_

 

 

 

 

 

_Grimmjow watched the raven haired male feed the white fur ball._

_Pantera was not as agile anymore as she had been when they first met, being an older cat now. She preferred to laze around instead of bouncing all over the place. Ulquiorra had not changed too much from being a kid._

_He was still pale, kind of skinny and creepy as hell._

_Grimmjow was the only one who seemed to not care about that last trait, as he was the only one who really spoke to the raven haired teen. Not that Ulquiorra was being bullied or anything. He just legit did not talk to anyone but Grimmjow._

_The blunet was really speaking to him out of habit._

_Ulquiorra had a habit of nagging at him about his temper too now, and it was irritating as all hell._

_”Perhaps you should listen to Shawlong-san. That sounds serious.” Ulquiorra mutters while petting the cat sitting on his lap._

_Grimmjow snorts, shifting away from the wall he was leaning on and slumping to sit on a box opposite from Ulquiorra, stuffing his hands into his pockets._

_”I’m not having ’em badmouth him.”_

_Ulquiorra sighs, not surprised about that stubborn response._

_”There is nothing wrong in you wanting to defend him, but beating up people won’t make rumors go away. People will always have their opinions and suspicion.”_

_Grimmjow spits to the floor, informing the raven haired male that he did not give a fuck if it did not stop it._

_”Besides... it is not like they are false. Shawlong-san does take us elementals in because his superior needs people like us.”_

_”Yeah yeah, I know.”_

_Grimmjow grumbles, rubbing his neck. Once the kids got older, they learned about the man Aizen, who was taking elemental kids under his wing for a bigger purpose or so, training them to have a better control over their abilities. What his ultimate goal was, that was something Grimmjow had no clue of yet._

_Shawlong had informed them about this just few weeks ago in fact._

_That Aizen was apparently especially curious about him, hence Shawlong was extremely concerned about Grimmjow’s....behavioral issues._

_”What the fuck is that guy about anyway?”_

_Ulquiorra hums with a shrug, then watches as the white cat jumps off his lap to rub her head against Grimmjow’s leg. The teen rolls his eyes and scratches her ear, making the small feline purr._

_”You seem to be a hit with the ladies.”_

_Grimmjow lifts eyebrow at the comment. Ulquiorra’s face was stoic as ever, but there was a hint of an amusement in his tone._

_”What about that?”_

_”Oh, nothing. I just find it....curious that a young male of your age, who is this attractive to the opposite sex, doesn’t seem to care about them.”_

_The blunet shrugs and picks up the cat, who curls up in his lap clearly enjoying herself._

_”Teenage hormones don’t work ta same way with me. I just don’t got interest in messing around.”_

_”So you don’t feel attracted to them?”_

_It was a weird question, and Grimmjow looks at him with an annoyed frown._

_”Never said that. I just said I don’t got interest in it right now.”_

_Ulquiorra tilts his head curiously._

_It was the kind of expression that indicated he was highly interested in learning more about this. It was a pain in the ass, especially given this shithead did not quit until his curiosity was satisfied._

_”Is it that, or are you perhaps just generally not interested in them?”_

_Grimmjow looks at him baffled for a moment, then starts to understand what the raven head was hinting at._

_”If yer thinking whenever I’m attracted to the same gender...”_

_”I am just making observations. It is peculiar that you never respond to the flirting from the girls and women around this village, not even the highly attractive ones.”_

_”I’m ignoring it ’cause I don’t care about some random bimbos or hags wanting to get laid.”_

_Grimmjow informs him with an irritated tone, turning his attention back to the attention seeking cat on his lap, scratching her ear._

_”....That does not answer my question.”_

_Ulquiorra points out after a moment of silence, making Grimmjow huff and shakes his head, cursing under his breath._

_”Why are ya so eager to know anyway? Ain’t that kinda personal?”_

_Ulquiorra tilts his head slightly, green eyes examining the blunet closely. Others would be freaked out by that look, but Grimmjow just found it annoying._

_”.....Just curious.”_

_It was clear he was leaving something unsaid, and as Grimmjow glances at him and sees the way he was being examined, the blunet began to have a hunch on why the raven haired male was asking._

_”I know yer a curious fucker, but I doubt this would interest you unless you had some personal gain from it.”_

_Grimmjow points out slowly, starting to feel uncomfortable under those green eyes._

_The pale teen says nothing, just gets up and walks closer, gently picking up the cat from his lap._

_Grimmjow watches him go and sit on the windowsill with it, letting the cat bask in the warmth of sunlight while sitting on his lap._

_”Listen to Shawlong-san. I’d rather not have you die.”_

_G_ _rimmjow says nothing to that._

 

 

 

_He had been in a fight again._

_Another group of thugs, running their mouth unnecessarily._

_So what if Shawlong was raising elemental kids so they could work for some man?_

_At least strays like him would then have a fucking **purpose.**_

_The old man kept telling him not to do this, but he couldn’t help it._

_The need to punch a bastards face in was too strong._

_It didn’t matter if the fucker was a weakling compared to him._

_Seeing them bleed and cry for mercy was satisfying._

_Part of him was aware, that the old man was likely right. As more and more days passed, he could feel the way his brain buzzed, the way his emotions swung around rapidly._

_At times, he almost felt like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin._

_Other times, everything just went blank._

_He felt nothing._

_His friends did not seem to mind one bit that he was becoming rougher. They fully embraced his shifting personality, even encouraging him at times when Grimmjow was about to beat someone. Part of him hated this. Hated how it clearly concerned Shawlong, he could tell from the looks the old man gave him at times._

_Grimmjow couldn’t help it; he needed something to make the buzzing stop._

_Fights helped._

_Adrenaline helped._

_It wasn’t that he was not trying. He was._

_He still tried not to use his elemental power against humans, knowing that could easily kill them._

_I_ _t was just hard to resist doing so. But he tried._

_Deep down, Grimmjow still did not want to kill anyone, not really._

_He liked fighting, but he didn’t want to kill._

 

_.............._

_Up until now._

_He watched Ulquiorra hold the body of the cat in his arms._

_She had been beaten to death, apparently by a group of young men according to eyewitnesses._

_They had heard commotion, and seen the group bother the feline. The injuries were too much._

_By the time they reached the spot, she was gone. Ulquiorra just sat there, emotionless._

_It was not his typical stoic behavior, it felt like he’d gone into a shock of sorts._

_He just...sat there, Pantera’s blood coloring his hands and clothes._

_”To think they’d do something like that to a poor animal.” The old lady who had witnessed the event mutters sympatethically, seemingly unaware of the way the blunet was shaking._

 

_They bury the cat at the backyard of the orphanage. Ulquiorra was still emotionless, just gazing at the small tombstone they’d made for the poor feline._

_”Tough shit, but it’s how life works here.” Edrad comments, patting Ulquiorra’s back in a rough attempt at consoling the raven haired teen._

_They did not really get why their boss hanged around with Ulquiorra at times, but they also did not question him about it._

_”You’ll find another pet soon, I’m sure.” Yltfordt joins in, but Ulquiorra just ignores them, walking back inside with that same blank look on his face._

_The two look after him, then just shrug, figuring this was his way of dealing with grief._

_”_ _Such a weirdo, huh, Grimmjow?” Di-Roy comments, then notices the way their friend was staring at the small grave._

_His expression... none of the three had seen such intense anger from him._

_”.....There’s always that one bastard, who thinks they can go an’ mess around with the weak ones.”_

_His voice was quiet, barely containing the chaos inside him._

_”Well yeah. That’s how this world works; either you let them fuck with you, or you become one of them.” Edrad comments with a shrug, crossing his arms._

 

~~_He shouldn't have said that. Edrad broke the camel's back with those words._ ~~

 

_Grimmjow suddenly lets out a laugh, and as he turns towards the trio, they knew that something was off._

_The blunet... he looked positively manic, with that bloodthirsty grin on his face._

_”Ya know what? **Yer right about that.** ” _

_He chuckles, then walks away from the yard and back into the house._

_His friends knew right then and there, that something big was about to happen._

_That was the day, when he finally stopped resisting._

 

 

 

_”That oughta show that freak to not mess with us!”_

_The guy laughed, having a drink with his friends in the complex’ garage._

_They were amongst those who had picked a fight with the Shawlong orphanage teens, namely the troublemakers._

_After losing that fight, the boss of their group had decided to take revenge, and they had spied on them, finding out about the place and the little fur-ball he kept visiting with the raven weirdo._

_”Wish I’d been there ta see his face, it would have been hilarious!” Another one of them added, before downing his drink nearly at one go._

_The group laughed, not realizing the danger heading their way._

_”Never thought some hothead like that electro-freak would have a soft spot for animals though.”_

_”I had.”_

_The group freezes and turns to look at the lone figure standing on the large doorway, blue eyes glinting in the dim light given out by the flashlight the group had stuck upright on a hole in the makeshift crater-table for their drinks they sat around, serving as a light source._

_”Well it’s your own fault for pissing us off.”_

_The leader snorts, although he felt slightly unnerved._

_Usually, the blue haired bastard did not go after those he’d already beaten._

_Usually, those morons did not try to piss him off again._

 

_Grimmjow let’s out a low, slightly unstable chuckle, as he paces towards the trio._

_”I had a soft spot fer animals alright. That soft spot was the only thing protecting yer sorry asses.” _

_He stops mere inches away from the first guy, who scoots back a little, unnerved by the blunet’s glare._

_”Now... **it’s gone.** ” _

_At that declaration, the flashlight suddenly turned incredibly bright for a second, before bursting, sending small bits of shrapnel at the trio, who back away quickly in shock._

_They don’t make it far, as Grimmjow grabs the nearest guy, swinging him against the wall from his throat and releasing a ridiculous amount of energy into his body._

_”Ya like torturing helpless little things, preying on the weak? Well I’m gonna teach ya bastards a lesson.”_

_He drops the smoking, bleeding guy to the floor, before turning his smirk towards the other two._

_”_ _In this world.... yer the helpless ones. I’m the predator.”_

 

 

 

 

_He stood there, panting harshly as last bits of his energy start dissipating from the area._

_There were burnmarks everywhere, there was blood on him on the spots they had tried to grab him._

_Grimmjow stares at the bodies on the floor._

_It was like his dad all over again, barely recognizable._

_He stares at his hands, they were bloody._

 

~~_I don’t wanna hurt anyone._ ~~

~~_I don’t wanna kill anyone._ ~~

_...... Fuck that._

 

_He starts laughing. It was probably the most terrifying sound he’d ever heard, and it was coming out of his own mouth._

_Grimmjow couldn’t stop himself; the realization of what he’d just done hit him hard._

_He’d killed three people - humans - over a fucking cat._

_It had not been a panicked reaction that killed his mum. it was not the feeling of something else controlling his body, his anger overwhelming his child senses. He had done this WILLINGLY._

_Grimmjow collapses to the floor as his laughter dies down, just staring to the ground._

_Shock, was that what it was?_

_Maybe his brain was shutting down unnecessary functions so he would not go on a further rampage._

_Someone was there._

_He knew who it was, he didn’t even turn his head to look._

_”Boy...”_

_Shawlong stares at the mess in front of him. He was not mad or surprised, for he had expected this to happen after hearing from his friends about how he’d looked before leaving. They had come to wake him up upon noticing Grimmjow was missing. Shawlong had known instantly what was about to happen, and upon sensing the massive burst of energy, he had used it to track the teen down._

_”They killed it. That cat wasn’t even mine. Ulquiorra was ta one who looked after it.”_

_Grimmjow mutters out, his voice strangely distant. It was like he wasn’t really there right now._

_”....You did name it according to him.”_

_”It was just a fucking cat. Why would they even go after it?”_

_Shawlong paces around the boy to crouch in front of him. He noted the blue eyes were kind of glazed, confirming he was in a state of shock._

_”She never did anything ta them. If they had a problem with me, they should’ve dealt it with me.” Grimmjow’s tone began to creep towards venomous anger again, but Shawlong wasn’t scared._

_Gently, he reaches out and squeezes his shoulder, gaining the boy’s attention._

_”There are always those in this world, who go after the weak, because they cannot reach those they want to hurt.”_

_The boy just stares at him, then, the unstable smile starts to creep back._

_”Like my dad huh? He was too much of a coward. That’s why he took it out on ma most of the time. He was afraid of me like the weak bastard he was.”_

_Shawlong remains quiet, sensing that any wrong words right now could trigger another outburst._

_”He was afraid of me, so he was tryin’ to sell me off to some scientist.”_

_Grimmjow cackles out, like it was the funniest joke he’d ever heard._

_Of course, it wasn’t._

_He tugs on his hair, trying to make the buzzing stop. There was so much white noise in his head right now, it drove him mad._

_The blood in his hands now went into his hair as well._

_”He was afraid of me.” He cackles out again, his entire body shaking with....he could not even tell what anymore._

_Anger?_

_Sadness?_

_F_ _ear?_

_Disgust over his own actions?_

_It felt like a mixture of everything._

_Eventually, it was too much for his brain to handle, and his vision blacks out. Shawlong catches the teen before he hits the ground._

 

 

 

_”He really killed someone?” Yltfordt questions the old man quietly, while they stood by Grimmjow’s bedside._

_The old man just sighs and nods._

_”Will he be in trouble now then?”_

_”No one saw what happened, but I am not sure if he can stay here now.”_

_”That is why **I** am here, Shawlong.” _

_The group turns to look at the man sitting in the corner, a calm smile on his lips._

_The man was the one Shawlong sent the strongest kids to. After hearing what had happened, Aizen had decided to come and see this one himself._

_Normally Shawlong would have been proud of the child who caught his interest, as it meant the kid would be going somewhere where he or she would learn how to control their power better and serve a greater purpose. However, the man was not so confident about sending Grimmjow there. The boy was too unstable, and he doubted even Aizen could change that._

_”I recommend you to reconsider still, Aizen-san. This boy is troubled.”_

_”I am aware of that. Do not worry, I know how to help him.”_

_The trio of teens look at the old man, who sighs and nods after a moment of silence._

_”Very well.”_

 

 

 

_When he came to, Grimmjow found he was back on his bed. He was not alone, there was a strange man sitting beside the bed, where Shawlong usually sat. He sits up abruptly, his energy sparking around him out of reflex._

_”Calm down boy. I am here merely to talk to you.”_

_”....Who the hell are you?”_

_The brunet laughs, clearly amused by his crude reply._

_”My, where are my manners? My name is Sousuke Aizen. You might have heard of me.”_

_Aizen?_

_So this was the guy the older kids usually went to?_

_”Why are you here?”_

_”I heard what you did. It was....quite impressive.”_

_Impressive? How was him killing a bunch of weaklings impressive?_

_Grimmjow pauses, abruptly realizing just how cold that thought had sounded._

**_What the hell was wrong with him?_ **

_Except, he knew. Shawlong had warned him about this._

_”You don’t have to be so uneasy, boy. What happened was unfortunate, but it was a great demonstration of the potential you have.”_

_Grimmjow snorts, turning his gaze away._

_”I could have use for someone as strong as you.”_

_”Yeah, no. I cannot really control this shit so I doubt I’m gonna be useful at all.”_

_Aizen chuckles at his blunt reply._

_”We can help you. I have helped unstable elementals before to grasp onto their power and mentality better.”_

_Grimmjow looks at him skeptic._

_”Even those sufferin’ from lightning madness, or whatever the old man calls it.”_

_Aizen’s smile widens into a bit of a creepy smirk._

_”Yes, even those with such severe conditions.”_

 

 

 

_”So he is really gonna leave?” Di-Roy asks from the old man miffed, who just nods._

_”Aizen-san is taking him and Ulquiorra with him. Your brother is also leaving Yltfordt.”_

_The blond shrugs, not caring about that. He and Szayel never got along anyway, they were too different._

_”Can’t we go with him then?” Edrad questions, not liking the idea of their boss leaving by himself._

_”You can join him later on, once your power has grown enough.”_

_Aizen informs them, as he walks towards the group. Grimmjow was behind him, a beanie tugged over his hair to cover it._

_His face was blank, but his friends could tell the teen was tense._

_Ulquiorra was beside him, a hood over his head. He kept glancing at Grimmjow, but the blunet ignored him completely._

_”That’s too bad. I would have loved to see what kind of training you are preparing for him sir, he’s already strong so this is gonna make him even more powerful!” The big teen declares, clear excitement in his eyes._

_They all had always enjoyed watching Grimmjow fight, so the thought of him getting even stronger was thrilling._

_Granted, the people dying part was a bit iffy, but life was harsh, all the kids in this place knew it._

_”I’ll look forward to having you three under my wing as well, you seem very enthusiastic about it.” The man chuckles, patting Edrad’s head, making the large teen blush about the compliment._

_Grimmjow watched the scene dully, his mind distant._

_”You didn’t have to kill them.” Ulquiorra tells him softly, his voice so quiet only the blunet heard it._

_”I didn’t, but I did it anyway.”_

_Grimmjow replies simply, his voice void of emotion to the point even Ulquiorra had to look concerned now._

_As they headed for the car, Grimmjow glances at the orphanage behind him. His gut told him, that this was a bad idea._

_Something about Aizen had always rubbed him the wrong way, the rumors he heard about the guy._

_Grimmjow did not believe one second that he was doing this to help the boy._

_It was just... he seemed to have stopped caring._

_Everything was just noise now._

 

 

 

_T_ _he place was big, and it was filled with strong people. It did not surprise Grimmjow. The adults glanced at the two youngsters but mostly went by their business. Some whispered to one another as they saw him, having heard what happened in Menos. There was a dark skinned, blind man greeting them. He takes one look at Grimmjow, and turns to his leader with a frown._

_”Are you certain of this Aizen-sama? Shawlong warned this one to be peculiarly difficult.”_

_”Calm yourself, Tousen. I am sure Grimmjow will learn to handle himself.”_

_The brunet reassures him, though the man still looked skeptic._

_The blunet just lifts his gaze to glare up at the dreadlock man, informing him what he thought of talking about him like that when he was there just with his expression._

_”.....I’ll take your word for it.” The man mutters out, sensing that this boy was going to be trouble._

 

 

 

_The girl was older than him, perhaps by four years or so._

_He could imagine his friends ogle at her given she already had ample curves to her._

_Grimmjow did not care._

_Her overly warm smile and bright eyes made him uncomfortable._

_~~Too much like mum.~~ _

_”You must be Grimmjow. Aizen-Sama told me about you!” She greets him enthusiastically, grasping his hand out of blue. It was.... weird._

_”My name is Nelliel, and he asked me to watch after you and Ulquiorra for now. I hope you’ll be feeling right at home here as soon as possible.”_

_”Nel, try not to be so pushy, the boy seems uncomfortable.” The blond woman who was also with her scolds the enthusiastic girl calmly._

_She was more suspicious about him, which Grimmjow was far more okay with, as at least it felt familiar._

_”Aww come on Tia, I am just trying to make him feel at home; he’s awfully tense.”_

_Grimmjow snorts and tugs his hand off the girl’s hold, gaining her attention back._

_” Don’t touch me.” _

_Nelliel blinks, then places her hands to her hips, frowning._

_”Really, you don’t have to be so hostile. I am not going to hurt you.”_

_The blunet just stares at her, a slightly bitter smirk on his lips._

_”Like I’d be worried about that, dumbass.”_

_Nelliel blinks confused, and Grimmjow walks past her, slumping to the bed assigned to him in the spacious room._

_”He is likely referring to the fact he happens to command lightning as his metahuman element.” Harribel informs the green haired woman, whose eyes widen as she hears it._

_”...So that’s why Aizen-sama asked me to watch after him...”_

_Her tone was sympatethic, though Grimmjow did not fully grasp it’s meaning._

_He did not care, he just wanted the noise in his head quiet down for now._

 

 

 

 

_”I don’t know if I can do this Aizen-sama. The poor boy has far too much energy in him, more than even I can handle.” Nelliel informs their leader, who just smiles at her calmly._

_”I am not expecting you to be able to help him right away. He is our best bet to test my theory regarding to your power however given how strong he was already in such an early age, so keep trying. If you succeed, not only are we one step closer to our goal, but you might be able to save his life.”_

_Nelliel just nods, although she felt uneasy._

_The woman doubted saving Grimmjow was his true motive behind this._

_She had seen the kind of training the boy was put trough. There were no limitations, no rules. He just told Grimmjow to defeat whoever his opponent was, and each time, he got more and more violent._

_”Are you certain that managing to balance his energy will help, Aizen-sama? I feel he might need professional help...”_

_The man turns to look at her sternly._

_”Do not question me, Oderschvank. Remember, I am doing what I am doing for the greater good.”_

_The woman bows, apologizing for her pushiness. As she walks out from his office however, Nelliel could not stop but worry. She did not like the way Aizen was encouraging Grimmjow._

 

 

 

_He’d lost count how many times he’d beaten Yammy’s ass already._

_Fighting him for training was getting boring._

_He watches as the giant falls to the floor unconscious, his clothes smoking._

_He was not dead given the bastard was insanely tough, but it did not matter. Grimmjow spits to the floor, and turns to look at Aizen, who was smiling seemingly satisfied._

_The people around him were also watching keenly, although there was fear in the eyes of many._

_”Excellent, your power has grown remarkably.”_

_Grimmjow says nothing, just digs his ear bored._

_Why couldn’t the bastard give him better opponents to fight?_

_This was boring._

_”I have a task for you.”_

_”Aizen-sama, please reconsider! He is still too volatile.” Tousen hurries to protest, but Aizen gives him a stern look, silencing his underling._

_”I want you to destroy something for me.” Grimmjow felt a grin creep up his face._

_He’d like that._

 

 

 

 

_”I suppose you did your task well, although I feel you also caused unnecessary chaos.”_

_”Nobody fucking asked you, Ulquiorra!”_

_Grimmjow spats at him, while the raven haired male patches the injury on his back. Some wind bastard had managed to hit him, slicing a nasty slash wound on his back. Didn’t matter, the fucker was buried six feet under along with the rest._

_Faces, lot of faces he couldn't even recall anymore due to the static in his brain. He'd taken out quite a few while destroying that place. He had to, they got in the way. He had to keep fighting, so his brain would not feel like a beehive._

_”Why did Aizen-sama ask you to destroy that facility.” Ulquiorra ponders, more to himself than Grimmjow._

_”Dunno. Looked like some weird lab.” The blunet shrugs, rubbing his eyes._

_Now that the adrenaline was gone, the white noise was back in a loud, annoying buzz that ringed in his ears._

_It was so loud, he could feel a headache coming._

_”I assume he had a good reason for it.”_

_Ulquiorra hums after finishing, and Grimmjow tugs his jacket back on, ignoring the slight aching on his back._

_”Try to be more careful next time.”_

_”Fuck off.”_

 

 

 

_He Still did not really know what was Aizen’s ultimate goal. All Grimmjow knew was that he worked in shadows, and occasionally wanted something stolen or destroyed. Grimmjow never questioned it, at least not at first._

_He was just glad he could do something that eased the noise in his head, that allowed him to follow his urges without having to go into a fucking manic shock afterwards._

~~_He did not have to feel guilty when he did not know the truth._ ~~

_Still though._

_He did not sleep well._

_His brain was in such a chaos that it made him unable to sleep most of the time. It made him cranky, to the point most people steered clear of his path, not wanting to invoke his unstable wrath. When his friends came to join him, he did not feel happy._

_He just felt annoyed that now he’d have to watch their asses too, as they were far weaker yet about as reckless as he was._

_The trio did not seem to mind his colder attitude towards them. They worshiped him too much to really notice._

_That’s how it had always been._

_They idolized him and his powers ever since he was a kid, perhaps turning blind to the darker side of it all._

_Fuck, he was too tired to care._

_He just wanted his head to pipe the fuck down for once._

 

 

_”You really need to take it easy; your power is far beyond theirs, and they cannot keep up with you as well anymore.”_

_Ulquiorra was scolding him again, like a fucking mother-hen._

_Why did he bother when he knew Grimmjow didn’t listen?_

_”Mind yer own fucking business.”_

_The green eyes gaze at him quietly._

_Watching, judging, acting like he knew better than Grimmjow did, when he understood nothing what was happening in his brain._

_It pissed him off._

_Ulquiorra was taken aback when the blunet suddenly grasps his collar to snarl at his face._

_”Stop bitching at me like yer my parent or something. You fussing over me ain’t gonna make me want to fuck you so stop it!”_

_The pale man’s eyes widen as he hears those words; Grimmjow did not usually bring up this detail about him._

_He did not like talking about, or thinking about the fact Ulquiorra had a crush on him, ever since they were kids. In the past, he’d ignored the topic because he felt bad not responding to it._

_Now, he hated it because he couldn’t STAND that look aimed at him._

_Like he was doing something wrong._

~~_As if he didn’t know that._ ~~

_Grimmjow pushes him aside harshly again and stands up, marching towards his chambers without a word._

 

 

_”He’s just worried about you. He’s known you for a long time and feels this is not how you used to be.” Nelliel tells him gently._

_The young man informs her that she could piss right off as he didn’t care._

_Why did she worry about him as well? She was a stranger to him._

~~_Why did people keep wanting to get close to him, when they should just fuck off for their own safety?_ ~~

 

 

_Months blurred into years._

 

_His reputation grew within Aizen’s ranks._

_A lot of it rumors._

_There were several labels people used._

_Maniac, a sadist, brute monster, it all blended together in his head._

_As he dispatches another sorry sack of shit that had rubbed Aizen the wrong way, all he could think of, was the noise in his head._

_I_ _t started to sound more like a growl, and the sound would not let him sleep, to take a break._

_He just wanted the world to shut up for a moment and let him breathe._

 

 

 

_Grimmjow could not stand it. Seeing the three chat with someone he did not know. They were talking with the fucking weaklings, but Grimmjow could not stand it. They were HIS friends. He made his thoughts known by beating up thise weaklings. The three were confused of his behavior, but did not question it, figuring those guys had done something to earn his ire._

_They never questioned him._

_Grimmjow almost wanted to smack them too._

_Why? Why couldn’t they tell something was not right?_

_Why didn’t they try to stop him?_

_Perhaps....those three weren’t proper friends after all, just blind followers._

_They did not question him, like a true friend would. A friend would be worried right now. They weren't._

 

 

 

 

_Shawlong came to them._

_It was the first time in years Grimmjow felt a genuine smile appear on his face._

_He’d missed the old man and his calming presence. Apparently Aizen wanted him to train some of the younger ones as his methods were more suitable than whatever bullshit Patros was doing._

_Grimmjow felt less irked about this than he did when it came to Edrad and others._

_Shawlong had always been surrounded by bunch of kiddos, whereas those three had mainly stayed by his side._

_Nelliel noticed the new calmness in the blunet, it was clear having the old man there helped his chaotic mindset. She however knew all too well, that on the long run it would not be enough._

_”I wish I could help him, but I cannot bring out enough energy from him; it just fills up again, and if I take any more, I might harm myself.”_

_The green haired woman sighs, looking at her partner with a sad look._

_”You seem to be taking saving him very personally.”_

_”I know Tia. I just...I talked with Shawlong about him, the way he is now, it’s not who he really is. I think...bringing him to Aizen-sama was a bad idea.”_

_The woman whispers that last part, and the blond woman lifts eyebrow at her._

_”All the things he’s made Grimmjow do...I used to think this was all for greater good, but I cannot stop but notice that the amount of death is rising. Are we really doing the right thing, helping his cause?”_

_The blond woman sighs and places a hand on her shoulder._

_”Doing the right thing requires sacrifices, you know this.”_

_”But Tia....no good person would drive someone into further insanity and make them slaughter people near mindlessly. I cannot think of any logical reason for that. It feels that is what Aizen is doing with him.”_

_The woman goes quiet, as she could not really argue with that._

 

 

_S_ _hawlong was growing too old._

_He could no longer perform his duty as a trainer so well._

_Grimmjow helped the old man sit down after the youngsters left, a concerned frown on his face. The only person the blunet showed this kindness to anymore was him._

_”Thank you. I feel if this keeps up I might end up breaking my back while teaching them.”_

_T_ _he old man chuckles, his voice exhausted._

_”Tell Aizen ya cannot do this anymore.”_

_Shawlong sighs and looks at him tiredly._

_”Boy, once he has taken you under his wing, you cannot leave. You know what happens to those who try, you have hunted some of them down.”_

_”That was different! Those bastards stole shit from us.”_

_Shawlong just shakes his head, then holds it as a dizzy spell passes over him. Grimmjow examines his parent/mentor openly concerned. There was no way he could continue doing this, the old man could barely stand for long periods of time._

_”....I’ll help ya escape. I can just claim ta him I killed ya.”_

_”I doubt Aizen will believe that.” Shawlong points out with a quiet laugh._

_”Everybody seems to think I am completely off my marbles, so he might.”_

_It was not wrong, but what Shawlong said also wasn’t incorrect; people had noted his mellow behavior towards the older man._

_”Do not concern yourself with me, Grimmjow. Just live your life the way you want to.” _

_His words were quiet, and it was clear he was trying to say something with that last part._

_What, Grimmjow wasn’t sure._

 

 

 

 

_He was dead._

_Shawlong was dead._

 

_Grimmjow just stood there, staring at Aizen with intense fury._

_He’d shot the old man in front of Grimmjow’s eyes._

_Someone had told Aizen that Shawlong wished to leave. Of course the man could not have that, given the knowledge he’d had._

_”This is truly unfortunate, but sacrifices must be made.”_

_The brunet states as he puts the gun away, turning to look at the blunet._

_”Surely you must understand; you have dispatched several people for me for this very reason. I cannot have information leak to the outside world.” Grimmjow stares at him, sparkles of energy dancing around his body. The sight was enough to make others back away, but Tousen steps in between him and Aizen._

_”If you wish to attack our leader, boy, you’ll have to go trough me first.”_

_Grimmjow stares at the man silently._

_Yeah, he could. He could rip this bastard to shreds, even if it killed him._

_However, Shawlong’s words from earlier stop him._

**_”Live your life the way you want to.”_ **

_The blunet swallows down his fury, knowing all too well his mentor would not want him to waste his life like this. So instead, he turns on his heels and marches away, not looking anyone in the eyes._

 

_That night, he completely destroys his room._

 

 

 

_When it began, he was far too exhausted to care._

_It hurt like a bitch, the mark on his body, and the fear and worry in people’s eyes - latter mainly coming from Oderschvank, and Ulquiorra - only served to irritate him._

_”You need to stop and calm yourself, Grimmjow. This will lead you to an early grave otherwise.” Ulquiorra warns him, for the first time his voice having hints of anxiety in it._

_”Fuck that. We all are gonna die anyway.”_

_That reply clearly did not please the raven haired male, as he reminds Grimmjow that he is also endangering others around him._

_”The fuck does that matter? I was always a danger anyway.”_

_Why couldn’t they just leave him alone?_

 

 

_Weeks passed, he became more erratic._

_He did not tell his friends about his condition, they just assumed it was because of what happened to Shawlong. He saw no point in telling them, because they would not be able to do shit to it anyway. Plus, he no longer saw them as friends._

~~_They could have stopped him, before things went too far, they didn't._ ~~

_......Still, he could not stop caring about them, despite his bitter thoughts. Plus, the arrogant, vain part of him worried that if he admitted how fucking weak he really felt, they'd stop idolizing him the way they did._

_Grimmjow hated it._

 

 

 

_He could feel the worried glances from Odershvank each time she passed by._

_He could see the displeased look on Ulquiorra’s face after each mission he returned from, where he had apparently gone too far again._

_”You need to stop acting like this.”_

_Grimmjow kept telling him to fuck off._

_......it hurt so fucking bad, but he didn’t care._

_As long as he could go and cause chaos, it helped._

_It felt like an addiction at this point; he hated Aizen so goddamn much, but he NEEDED the adrenaline rush working for him provided to function, or otherwise he’d likely just drop dead pathetically in a ditch somewhere._

_Edrad, Yltfordt, Di-Roy; none of them had any clue what was really going on inside his head._

_They thought his attitude was purely just natural development due to the harsh nature of their world._

_It wasn’t._

_He was there, he saw the whole thing. It was late in the evening in the giant hidden mansion._

_Oderschvank had been lured there, unaware of the attack planned against her. Grimmjow had known about it, sort of; few days ago, Nnoitra had been bitching at him while drunk, not understanding why the green haired woman was somehow so important to Aizen._

_He’d even heard her talking with her partner Harribel, about how she did not agree with a lot of things Aizen did._

_”That woman is a liability, she should not be allowed to walk around like that!”_

_Grimmjow had ignored his drunken rambling mostly, given he’d been having a killer headache. He watched the man use a device on him, likely something Szayel - that sleazy bastard, how the hell was he related to Yltfordt? - likely had made._

_He soon saw familiar marks spread on her skin, indicating she was having too much energy fed into her._

_As they hear footsteps head to the scene, Nnoitra and his lapdog disappear, replaced by concerned Harribel._

_Nelliel did not die in the end, thanks to Harribel’s efforts in trying to balance out her energy._

_But she lapsed into a coma._

 

 

_It was hilarious, seeing those two try to hide their fear once their almighty leader finally bothers to explain why exactly Oderschvank was important, and why the hell Aizen was especially pissy that morning because of what happened to her._

_He was clearly expecting someone to come clean._

_Obviously Nnoitra nor Tesla were dumb enough to do that._

_He could rat them out._

_Grimmjow didn’t._

_He felt grim satisfaction in seeing a plan of Aizen fail, and even moreso, enjoyed seeing his frustration when he could not figure out who had done it._

_It was priceless._

 

 

 

_That evening had been especially bad; his mind buzzed, his entire body hurt, and it felt like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin again._

_That’s when they had appeared, and told him the truth behind Shawlong’s demise._

_”It was that pigtailed girl - the one Tousen executed a while back - and her friend; they had ratted Shawlong out. Apparently one of them overheard him talking to someone about leaving.”_

_Grimmjow sat up abruptly, glaring at the trio._

_So Shawlong had died because some fucking bitch could not mind her own business? _

_”....Where’s that wind bitch?”_

_Yltfordt glances at the two others, before speaking to him again._

_”She ran a while back, but Aizen wants her dead now.”_

_Grimmjow felt miffed about this; even when it became personal, he was still on that bastard’s leash. He fucking hated it._

_Hated anything to do with Aizen._

_.....But his brain was already screaming for blood, and he knew when he would not be able to stop it._

_”We do not know of her location, but likely the Guard has taken her under their wing; if we infiltrate the headquarters, we might find where she is.”_

_Edrad informs him, and there was a glint of excitement in his eyes._

_It made Grimmjow lift eyebrow at him, as he senses there was more to this than that._

_”Aizen-sama wants to destroy their headquarters; apparently the guard has been getting too close to the truth, and now would be the perfect time for this given the heads are away for a few days.”_

_”So the hell does he want us to do?”_

_”We’ll find out where the fuck she went, and bomb the place.” Di-Roy informs him, clearly as eager to do this as Edrad._

_These morons, they had no clue how Aizen was brainwashing them, leading them on to do stupid shit._

_Grimmjow could see it, he just couldn’t do anything about it, or at least it felt like it. The only thing keeping him from going completely berserk was this vague sense of purpose working for Aizen gave him, and doing his dirty task fed on his adrenaline addiction._

_He turns his gaze aside for a moment._

_Grimmjow was not keen on bombing the place, because likely the destruction would be bigger than anticipated._

_But....he also wanted revenge._

_He could not reach Aizen, so he had to settle to the next best thing._

_A bitter thought fills his head at that moment. This was just like those guys, attacking Pantera because they could not reach him. He was going after the fucking girl because he could not do a thing to Aizen. It was pathetic._

_Grimmjow shook his head. No, this was not the same._

 

~~_It fucking was, he just didn't wanna admit it then._ ~~

 

_Aizen did not care if that bitch died or not, not like how he’d cared for the fur ball. Grimmjow gets up from the bed, bracing himself and pushing his ache away, as he flashes a manic smirk at his followers._

_”Let’s have some fun then, shall we?”_

_He was gonna die soon anyway, so might as well do what you wanted for as long as you could._

_Right now, he wanted to find that bitch and make her suffer for what she did._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a long chapter. A story inside a story, sort of. I tried to sort of summarize Grimmjow's life story as I mentioned in the beginning. You sorta learn some stuff like the details of how his parents died and such. I did not reveal Aizen's plan here yet, as it's supposed to be sort of a mystery until near the end of the story. 
> 
> I originally wanted to include bits from Blazing Thunder into this, but I figured that would just be me repeating myself, so I did not include it here. This stops just before the first fic in the series.


	12. Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo and Grimmjow run into the ginger's friends, and they have a discussion before shit hits the fan

Once they reached the city edge, the two became more cautious; there was a chance that Aizen’s men were still around, so they had to be careful.

While the original plan had been to avoid the town altogether as it wasn’t exactly the place they were heading, Grimmjow had in the end come to the conclusion that going around the whole damn place would take too long; it would be dark by the time they reached that old lab on foot - Grimmjow still wasn’t ready for another round of teleporting for two - and Ichigo had come to the conclusion he did not want to spend too much time in there in total darkness.

The mine had been enough for now, thank you very much.

Going trough the city, they could reach the place well before sunset. Grimmjow walked ahead, knowing the city streets much better than Ichigo. The ginger also noted the way he was sort of covering for him, but said nothing to it. There was absolutely no point to bring up something that was blatantly obvious Grimmjow would do given what he’d admitted, sort of.

The thought sent a warm, fluttery feeling down Ichigo’s belly, and he could not stop but smile as he gazed at the man ahead of him.

Yes, Grimmjow did think he was not worth the affection aimed at him silently even now, but Ichigo was not willing to change his mind.

All the things he’d learned, all the bad things Grimmjow had done, it was clear he was trying not to be that person anymore, and make amends.

Maybe it was not regret, but it was a clear sign he did not want to be the monster he used to be, and Ichigo was more than ready to support him in this quest.

Grimmjow halts his step as they near a larger street, and glances around suspiciously. There weren’t many people around this part of the city, but you still had to be cautious. Muggers liked to hang around here and attack any poor, unsuspecting fool that ventured around here. Usually though, they left him alone if they saw him. While he’d been there, he had beaten quite a few to submission, without even using his power, so after a while the fuckers stopped trying to rob him.

Kurosaki was a whole other ball game; he looked far too soft and an easy target.

The fact he’d been jumped by a group of pervert the last time they were here - before Aizen’s goons showed up - did not help his case. He was too attractive for his own good.

”Which way we are gonna go there?”

Kurosaki asks him, a hand grasping his arm as he walks next to the blunet.

The amount of trust in his brown eyes still pissed Grimmjow off, but after that chat in the train, he’d figured not to bother wasting too much energy on being annoyed about it.

”We might wanna stick to back-streets just in case. I also know a bit of a short-cut we can take so we’ll reach the building I used ta live in faster, as that’s near the exit that leads to ta place we’re looking for.”

Ichigo just nods, determined frown on his face. He squeezes the arm he was holding onto lightly.

”Lead the way then.”

Grimmjow rolls his eyes, but does as Kurosaki says regardless, escorting him across the road quickly and into another back street, where they passed by some illegal bars. Given it was not the nighttime or even late evening yet, there weren’t many patrons around, although some of the women from nearby brothels did glance at them. They did not even bother approaching the two however, as they knew the blue haired man would not give them a time of his day, ever.

He’d been in this area before, met those same women, and told them to fuck off when they’d come to flirt with him.

They did look after the ginger young man with him more curiously, likely going to gossip about it later. He could even hear some of the girls wondering if this was the reason why he kept turning them down.

Grimmjow didn’t care, he was not gonna stay here anyway.

 

 

He was not surprised to see the place was burned down.

Ichigo gasps in shock as he sees the ruins, and squeezes his arm again, eyes widened in shock.

”Oh god...what...?”

”Told ya the place was likely toast. They probably burned it just in case so that the Guard would not get any hints about where we had gone.”

Grimmjow comments with a shrug, kicking the nearest ashy piece of wood. It only hit the ground once before crumbling into dust.

”What if...if someone...”

Grimmjow snorts irritated, making Ichigo look up at him.

”The place was almost empty. There was only one other person living there ’sides me. The old guy spent more time drinking in bars than at home so I doubt he was around anyway when they burned it.”

Ichigo frowns and turns his gaze back at the burned wreckage. He did not exactly feel comforted by that statement.

”Still. How about the landowner? This might’ve been their only source of income...”

”Technically, the old man I mentioned was the one who owned the entire place. He was so wasted most of the time that he’d let just about anyone live there as long as you bought him a drink. I doubt he cares that much given how wasted he is most of the time.”

Grimmjow informs him casually with a shrug.

Nothing worked by the book in Rukongai.

There was no way in hell a wanted criminal like him would’ve gotten the apartment trough official means, hence he'd talked to the drunk old man about a place. The bastard had been so drunk usually that half the time he forgot he'd lived there. It did not matter too much, if anything it had been a good thing for him as then the guy did not ask too many questions.

”.....Where are we heading now?”

Ichigo questions him after a moment of silence, still notably clinging to his arm.

Kurosaki was clearly still slightly in shock, discovering what had happened here after they left.

Before Grimmjow could say a word, a car suddenly pulls over at the other side of the street, and they both turn instantly towards it, with Grimmjow’s instincts on high alert. A figure steps out of the car, and the blunet recognizes it to be the raven haired chick Kurosaki worked with and was friends with.

”Ichigo?”

Her eyes were wide as she hurries past the car, but then stops as she realizes who the person beside him was. The woman frowns and examines Grimmjow cautiously.

”So it is indeed true that you are alive.”

The ginger looks up at Grimmjow, clearly wanting to ask if he knew this woman, or if she was who he thought she was; the blunet was not exactly sure if he recalled Kuchiki at this point.

”What can I say? I’m apparently too crazy even fer _death_ ta deal with.”

Grimmjow flashes her his trademark serial-killer worthy grin, not even bothering to hide the lunacy in it like he’d do with Kurosaki.

”Somehow I can buy that.”

The woman’s eyes drift at Ichigo, who examines her suspiciously.

She did look familiar, but was this really the person he thought she was?

”Ichigo? It’s me, Rukia. Harribel-san told us about your memory loss.” The raven haired woman reaches out for him, though still kept her distance, not wanting another painful zap like she’d had to endure last time when dealing with Jeagerjaquez.

Ichigo glances between her and Grimmjow, as if waiting for confirmation that the woman was who she claimed she was.

The car door opens from the passenger side, and a redhead steps out too, looking at Ichigo with widened eyes. It was the pineapple head.

”It IS you! Thank goodness you’re alive!”

Renji exclaims relieved, but then frowns as Ichigo just eyes them suspiciously, noticeably clinging to the blunet’s arm, as if he didn’t trust them. Sure, he apparently suffered from amnesia, but...

”I know you must be suspicious given what you apparently found out, but I swear it is me and Renji, if you can remember us.”

Rukia tells the ginger calmly, not liking one bit how he seemed to be more trusting towards the psychopath beside him, rather than them. He even kept glancing at Jeagerjaquez as if to wait for his confirmation from their identities.

”....Yeah, it’s them.”

Grimmjow finally admits begrudgingly.

He had not wanted to run into these two if he was honest, but trying to lie to Kurosaki about this would be pointless. As much as his possessive part hated it, they were after the same goal.

Ichigo gazes at him for a moment, and then relaxes, offering a slight smile to Rukia.

”Sorry. It’s been...stressful.”

”Wait, why the heck are ya trusting this lunatic? You believe it’s really us just because _he_ said so?!”

Renji demands from Ichigo, making him flinch lightly and back away a bit.

It surprised both Renji and Rukia, but Grimmjow knew all too well what that meant.

Kurosaki was used to his outbursts by now, so he was not afraid of them. Abarai was someone he barely recalled, so the ginger was clearly more prone to react with unease to aggression like that from them. Kurosaki had gotten his bravery back slowly, but it was clear once he felt uneasy and uncertain, he'd slip back to the anxiety from when he'd first found him.

”You might wanna shut your dumbass fuckin’ mouth, pineapple. He’s in a state where he freaks out pretty damn easily, so zip it before he bolts.”

Grimmjow near growls at the redhead, who glares back at him irritated.

Both Rukia and Ichigo glance between the two, unsure on how to deal with the situation.

”And why should I trust that you weren’t the one that caused this in the _first_ place?”

Before Grimmjow could retort, Ichigo actually frowns and steps between them.

”Grimm did not do anything; this is likely caused by whatever I forgot. In fact, my memory loss is probably because of what.... what made me get these anxious moments.”

Ichigo informs them, his voice shaking lightly near the end, but he held his ground.

It was...irritating as all hell, to have Kurosaki defend him, but the same time his possessive part was pleased about it. The two were clearly surprised to see Kurosaki defend him. Or perhaps it was the stupidly affectionate nickname, as he was fairly sure Kurosaki had had to do quite a sales pitch to make his friends to allow him to go and save his sorry ass back then.

” _Grimm?_ Since when did you end up in such friendly terms?”

Abarai questions baffled.

So it was the nickname then.

He didn’t blame the pineapple for that reaction.

Ichigo glances at the blunet, who just stood behind him, hands in his pockets with a seemingly stoic expression on his face. Ichigo turns his head back towards the duo, who still remained on their side of the road mostly, likely too afraid to approach him given Grimmjow was there. They had no idea just how volatile the man was right now, and a fight against him could end up injuring the citizens of the town.

”Long story. It’s not important.”

Renji looked about ready to argue, but Rukia silences him by holding her arm up, and looking at Ichigo with a frown.

”We got your tip and searched the area. We could not find anything of substance. We even researched that old laboratory you and Renji went into over six months ago.”

After that statement, she pulls out something from within her uniform.

A book.

Ichigo’s eyes widen as he recognizes it; it was Grimmjow’s notebook.

Aside from small charring on the edges, it seemed to be intact.

The blunet doesn’t react upon seeing it, and he clearly wasn’t surprised when the next words the woman said were addressed to him.

”This is yours, is it not? I have a few questions to you about this, Jeagerjaguez.”

”Didn’t Harribel already answer several? Besides we were supposed to ask her about it anyway.” Renji points out, not liking the idea of trying to ask this guy for info, given how it had gone last time.

Granted, he had been Harribel’s source, but the redhead still doubted the bastard would want to talk to them directly.

Grimmjow remains quiet for a moment, then glances aside.

Their stand off was starting to attract attention, which wasn’t a good idea. Rukia seemed to realize it too, as she glances at the curious onlookers as well.

”....I believe we should continue this discussion elsewhere.” She concludes, slipping the notebook back into the inner pocket of her uniform.

Grimmjow just makes an agreeing hum, tilting his head in an indication of a nod.

Ichigo glances between them, unsure about the development.

”Come then, let’s drive somewhere more peaceful.”

”Wait, you really aren’t gonna let that lunatic come with us in the car!?”

Renji protests instantly, making the blunet snort, and pace beside Ichigo, slumping an arm around his shoulders. The grin that appeared on his face was positively freaky, and there was a hint of angry stealth in his tone.

”If ya want this ginger back, ya hafta deal with me too. M’not just handing him over to your sorry asses when you could not save him in the first place.”

Ichigo wanted to scold him for his rudeness, but upon sensing the aura emitting from the man, he decided not to argue with Grimmjow right now. He was clearly saying this out of.... protectiveness of sorts.

It warmed his insides again, as much as it seemed to bother and unnerve his friends.

”You sonofa...”

**”I dare ya to finish that sentence.”**

The sudden, intense chill in his tone makes Renji close his mouth, as his instincts warned him about impending danger.

It seemed that his choice of words had hit a special nerve or so, as the earlier intense anger had suddenly turned into a full blown _murderous_ fury.

”Please, refrain from saying such things....Renji? ” Ichigo half-asks, unsure if he recalled the name correctly.

The red haired man just swallows down and nods slowly, suddenly feeling like a deer caught in headlights under the intense blue stare.

He clearly hit a sore spot somehow.

Even Rukia seemed a little confused, as Jeagerjaquez was not really the type to get this chilly over a petty insult. She looks at Ichigo who just shakes his head, indicating he was not going to explain that one right now.

”Shall we go then?”

 

 

 

 

In the end, the place they drove was in fact near the old laboratory they had checked out again, as the woman figured it was better to stay off radar for a bit still. Renji could still feel the murderous stare at the back of his head, up until Ichigo grasped the man’s face, turning his attention to him.

”He did not mean it like that, Grimm; it’s just a way of saying.”

”Don’t fucking care.” The man growls at him, but it did not seem to bother Ichigo for some reason, as he just sighed and shook his head, hand still resting on Grimmjow’s cheek.

It looked so bloody weird in Renji’s eyes, but Rukia seemed less confused about it.

She was still frowning, not really liking it, but she clearly understood something Renji did not.

Once they step out of the car, Grimmjow leans his back against it, crossing his arms and waiting for the raven woman to start talking. Ichigo remained beside him, just in case he’d decide to go after Renji after all about this. He’d have to explain it later to the redhead.

”First. I’d like to know why it seems you kept visiting Ichigo for the past year. There was no point to it logically speaking, given all the Intel you dug up Harribel would give to us.”

She didn’t mess around, huh?

Grimmjow could feel the brown eyes look at him curiously now too.

”Personal reasons.” The man comments with a shrug.

”How do we know ya didn’t just mess with him like you did back then?!” Renji demands, and Grimmjow snorts, tilting his head lightly towards the redhead, a sly smirk on his lips.

Ichigo knew he was going to say something dickish even before he voiced it out.

”Oh I _messed_ with him alright. Four times at this point.”

The obvious innuendo was not lost to anyone, and Renji looked about ready to summon some reeeally sharp sticks from the ground to skewer the crazy bastard.

The only reason he didn’t do it, was the fact his friends’ reaction to the comment was rather calm; Ichigo just rolled his eyes at the man, slight blush coloring his cheeks.

”How are you okay with this Ichigo? Do you even....do you _remember at all_ what this guy did to you?” Renji asks, concern obvious in his voice.

Ichigo sighs and turns to look at him with a determined frown.

”I do, some bits. He’s been very honest about the past with me. I know he did a lot of bad things, but...”

The brown eyes glance back at the blunet, who just looks down at him stoic.

”He’s not the man he was when we met.” Ichigo finished softly, slight smile dancing on his lips.

Grimmjow almost wanted to snort, as he knew that was bullshit. 

Once again however, there was no point in trying to argue with Kurosaki about this. He was not gonna listen anyway.

”....That aside for now. I want you to explain what you meant in your notes, where you referred to the green haired girl.”

Grimmjow’s sharp gaze turns back towards her.

”What's that got to do with anything?”

Rukia’s frowns deepens, and she crosses her arms as well.

”Don’t play games with us, Jeagerjaquez. We don’t have time for this.”

The blunet just stares at her, up until Ichigo reaches a hand to his shoulder, making the man look at him. The gesture was so tender that Renji almost wanted to grab his friend and shake him back to his senses, but he did nothing, knowing igniting a fight here was dumb.

”C’mon. If you know something that could help....”

”I don’t know that much; only what Aizen rambled at us after that fucker nearly killed Oderschvank.”

Grimmjow huffs with a shrug, aiming his stare back at the short woman. The fact she no longer showed any hints of unease or fear, Grimmjow had to tip his hat for that, metaphorically speaking.

She was a brave little shit.

”After she was knocked into coma, Aizen pretty much told us she’d been a key to his research about making us stronger or whatever. I did not listen that much given my brain was bein’ a beehive and I was more focused on relishing in the fact his plans were getting fucked.”

A slightly dark grin appears on Grimmjow’s face, but Rukia doesn’t let it disturb her anymore.

”I suppose Harribel is the one we really need to ask about this then.”

Grimmjow shrugs, he had no clue how much the blond woman knew. While she was Nelliel’s partner, it was not really a reason for Aizen to tell her everything. Hell, in all likeness Oderschvank herself wasn't entirely in the know about her significance. 

”Rukia, we have spoken to Harribel _several times_ already, asking questions she did not like answering. I doubt she’ll give us any further info.” Renji reminds the woman, gaining a lift eyebrow from the blunet.

”Ya been hounding her about shit? I can guarantee she’ll just drown your asses eventually if you keep nagging at her.”

Renji gives him a glare, but Rukia just holds her chin thoughtfully.

”You may be right that she is reluctant on talking about this particular subject - she did not want to tell us anything about the green haired woman in the first place - but perhaps after hearing what you have revealed to us, she’ll feel obliged to explain it.”

 

Ichigo had remained silent during the conversation, given he had heard majority of this before when asking Grimmjow about it. He could tell the blunet was not ging into as much detail with the two as he had with Ichigo, but his answers were still in line with what he'd told the ginger, so he wasn't lying. He’d also still kept a hand on Grimmjow’s shoulder just in case, not wanting the man to go and beat up his friend.

However, something began to nag at the back of his head the further he listened to them talking about this green haired woman.

Almost if he’d heard somebody talk about it, somebody other than Grimmjow.

”I think...Szayel mentioned her to me at one point, now when I think about it.”

Everyone turns to look at Ichigo, whose face was in a deep frown as he tries to recall the memory.

”He said...something about her having an ability to absorb other people’s energy, and they were trying to find a way to make it into a ’two-way street’ or so...”

”Yeah, I think it was something like that.” Grimmjow confirms after a moment of silence.

The two officers glance at each other; something like that did not sound good at all.

”I think....something about us two, what happened was... similar to her power?” Ichigo looks up at Grimmjow uncertain, as his memory about those events was still hazy.

”.....Yeah, sort of I guess. Ya managed to snuff out the excess I had fer some reason. It’s not usual fer elementals to be able to do that, take each other’s energy; Nel was unique in that sense.”

Ichigo hums, contemplating on this for a moment.

 

 

Suddenly, they hear a sound nearby, and the next thing they knew something hit both Rukia and Renji in the neck, catching them by surprise.

As the redhead pulls the object off, he soon realizes it was some sort of sleeping dart.

”Shit, what...”

Before he could even finish that sentence, his vision started to fill with colorful lights, and his head began to sway. Looking at Rukia, she was in the same pinch, her face having gone pale and her entire body swaying.

”What....”

Grimmjow suddenly reaches past him and grabs something from the air, another one of those darts that almost hit Ichigo.

He takes just one look at it, then throws it away with a curse, igniting his aura around him. It did not hurt Ichigo despite standing so close, but it definitely made his skin prickle.

”Szayel’s poison shit. So he found us.”

Moments later, a large group of men appeared from the forest, surrounding them completely. Ichigo sees his friends trying to pull out their weapons or use their element, but whatever they had been injected with was too strong, and the two slump to the ground, panting harshly. A clap was heard, and the blunet turns to glare towards the pink haired man, who was walking towards them.

”Looks like I found our lost kitten again.”

Grimmjow didn’t even bother commenting back, he just throws a lightning bolt instantly at Szayel, whose eyes widen for a fraction of a second, before he yanks the nearest man to him and in the path of the attack, electrocuting the soldier until he was unconscious.

”My, and I thought that was going to be a lethal strike. You’ve gotten soft.”

Grimmjow snorts, before giving him a devilish grin, still standing in front of Ichigo in a protective manner

. ”I don’t need much ta end yer sorry ass, freak.”

The pink haired man tsks, then turns to look at his men who’d grabbed the two poisoned officers, holding weapons to their heads. Ichigo watched in horror, seeing the bluish veins appear on their faces, alongside the way their irises had gone milky.

”Ic...higo...” Rukia attempts to speak, but then she coughs out blood much to the ginger’s horror.

”As you can see, my poison is quite effective. Now, Kurosaki. I suggest you to come with us without struggle unless you want these two to perish.”

Ichigo glances between Szayel and his friends, eyes wide in worry. Grimmjow pushes the ginger further behind him, glaring at Szayel unimpressed.

”Like I’d let him do that. I know fer a fact you’ll just kill ’em anyway.”

”Oh, you’d love to see them die wouldn’t you? Given how _possessive_ you can get.”

Szayel mocks him with an amused smirk, gaining a low growl from the blunet.

”However, this is not a matter you have a say in.”

A second too late, Grimmjow spots the man aiming at him.

Another one of those poison darts hits his neck, and he grabs it, throwing it aside with another curse, before throwing a lightning bolt at the man, frying his sorry ass. However, it was a futile effort, as he felt his brain get dizzy, and a second later the blunet collapses to the ground much to Ichigo’s horror, coughing out blood.

The aura around him dissipates, as his body becomes too weak to hold it up anymore.

”I suppose I should mention, that the doze I saved for you is much higher, given your body can burn trough poison fairly quickly.”

Szayel tells the man casually, who just glares at him trough his reddening vision.

He turns his gaze to Ichigo, who’d crouched down beside Grimmjow in panic, hand on his shoulder.

”Now then Kurosaki, why don’t you come with us? I have the antidote for them right here...”

He pulls out a small glass vial, showing it to Ichigo, twirling it in his fingers.

”If you want me to give this to them, you’ll come with us.”

Ichigo looks up at Szayel with anger flaring in his eyes.

”Coward! You won’t even bother fighting him fair and square!”

”Of course not; nobody is foolish enough to do that with Jeagerjaquez, unless they are above his level.” The pink haired man comments casually, then gestures towards the blunet, who was panting harshly, bits of blood still dripping out from his mouth.

He was starting to have those veins on his skin again.... oh god.

It looked EXACTLY like when he’d suffered from overload, except this time it was on his face.

Ichigo felt his body go numb as he stared at the dark markings on Grimmjow’s pale face, feeling intense panic raise in his throat.

_It was happening again._

Grimmjow was dying again, and he did not know what to do.

Not just him, his friends too.

”You don’t have whole day, this poison works fast. Tic toc tic toc.”

Szayel tells him, now sounding slightly impatient.

Ichigo could not quite recall what happened next, or why.

He stood up slowly, his eyes burning right into Szayel.

The next thing he knew, he **burst** into flames.

The sudden heat and unexpected elemental energy actually causes a small explosion, sending both the pink haired man, his men and the hostages they held flying across the forest floor, burning the area good ten meters around Ichigo, and even completely busting the car he’d stood beside of.

The only person who was not affected, was Grimmjow, and that was because there was this strange white cocoon around him, formed by the white flames.

They did not burn him, simply shielded him from what happened.

He looks in slight shock as Ichigo charges after Szayel, letting out a growl so loud for a moment Grimmjow thought he’d been possessed by a fucking _lion_ or something.

The ginger - or rather, platinum blonde as the intense white flames had pretty much bleached his hair of its usual color - throws a flame at the group of men attempting to fire at him, and the fireball hitting the ground causes another explosion, sending them fly and burning some severely.

Despite his blurry vision and the white protective layer around him, Grimmjow was able to follow the whole show, and he was not sure whenever to be impressed or horrified.

Kurosaki burned trough the men with ease, sending them fly with explosions or kicking them with burning hits, which were bound to feel like branding irons against the one they collided with.

Everything around him _burned_ too; trees caught fire, grass burned on his feet, leaving a trail of ash behind him.

 

 

Szayel had quickly backed away, having not expected Kurosaki to rupture like this again, and he was running away from the scene as fast as he could.

Dealing with Jeagerjaquez was one thing.

Dealing with unpredictable test-subject was another.

**_”SZAYEL!”_ **

A loud yell came from behind him, and moments later, a large fireball exploded right at his feet, making the man stumble to the ground.

The next second, he was pinned to the ground by intensely burning Kurosaki.

Given majority of the flames around him were just a manifest of his elemental energy, they did not burn per say, but did feel unpleasantly hot.

”Well this was surprising.” The man comments calmly, hand in his pocket.

Kurosaki just grabs his collar, tugging the man off the ground so they were face to face. For a brief moment, his expression was almost a mirror image of Jeagerjaquez’ angry sneer.

**_”Give me the antidote, NOW.”_ **

”Fine fine, calm down, this must be bad for your blood pressure.”

The pink haired man comments, then suddenly brings his hand out of the pocket, stabbing Ichigo to the neck with a syringe.

He backs away with a groan, grabbing the needle and ripping it off from him. For Szayel’s relief, the sedative in it was working fast, as Kurosaki’s flames became erratic and started to disappear.

He attempts to grab Szayel again, but before he could, his legs gave out and he drops to the ground, his head dizzy as hell.

The flames disappear completely, and he lies there, unable to move.

”It was a gamble, given fire-elementals tend to burn trough poisonous substances about as fast as lightning types, but it seems my special cocktail has worked.”

The man comments with triumphant smirk, walking beside Ichigo and nudging him with his foot.

Ichigo just glares at him, but he was unable to move, his body feeling like led.

”Now then, I better see if your rampage left any of my men alive, they can carry you back to where you belong.”

 

Suddenly, a blue flash appears behind him, and Ichigo watches in shock as a hand grabs Szayel’s head, and a second later he is electrocuted with an intense amount of energy, up until he goes completely limp and falls to the ground.

Ichigo looks up, finding Grimmjow stand behind Szayel, panting harshly and biting his lip as he closes his eyes for a second, bearing trough the pain the poison caused.

_”Grimm...”_

Ichigo manages to push his upper body off the ground as the man collapses beside Szayel’s unmoving body, panting harshly.

He manages to smirk at Ichigo, whose eyes were wide with worry, even if hazed.

”Like I’d... let that bastard snatch you up again. Fuck...no.”

After those words, he passes out much to Ichigo’s horror, and he manages to scoot closer, searching Szayel’s body for the antidote he had shown to them.

Unfortunately, whatever he had been given was working against him, and Ichigo found himself falling to the ground in extreme daze, last thing he saw being Grimmjow’s pale, sickly face.

 

 

 

 

He woke up to a feeling of deja vu; Ichigo was lying on something soft again, with a cool towel over his face.

It takes him a moment to gather his bearings, but eventually he manages to open his eyes. First thing he noted was that he was no longer in the middle of the woods, but rather, in a house that felt vaguely familiar.

A noise from beside him catches his attention, and for a second he expects to see the blunet beside him, but instead, he was met with a dark-skinned woman, who was looking down at him with a frown.

Ichigo just stares back up at her, not knowing who she was.

The woman takes an inventory on him, then turns her head towards the door.

” **Kisuke!** Kurosaki is awake!”

Moments later, a blond haired, hat wearing man enters the room with a concerned look. There was something familiar about him, but Ichigo could not pinpoint exactly what it was right now.

”Kurosaki-san, glad to see you awake.” The man greets him with a smile, and dots connect on Ichigo’s brain.

”...Urahara-san?”

That’s right... this was Urahara’s house, or one of them anyway.

Ichigo had been here once before.

”Ah, you remember me, that’s great!”

The woman moves aside to allow the man to sit down on the armchair she’d occupied moments earlier.

”How are you feeling?”

Ichigo blinks, then turns his gaze aside for a moment. Aside from dizziness, he felt mostly fine. Then again, what Szayel had given him had not apparently been poison, unlike...

Ichigo sits up abruptly, looking around in panic and worry.

”Where... _Are they okay?!_ ”

Urahara takes a moment before he realizes whom Ichigo was referring to.

”Kuchiki and Abarai-san are okay; the poison doze on them wasn’t too strong in the end and I managed to cure it.”

The man reassures him, but it wasn’t enough.

”Grimmjow?”

The man turns quiet, hat shadowing his eyes. Ichigo felt dread grip his throat, and his gaze falters in despair.

”He is alive, don’t worry. But he was definitely in a worse shape than the two.”

”I need to see him now!”

Ichigo attempts to get off the bed, but the woman moves to push him back down, informing Ichigo that he was still far too weak to maneuver around.

”Kisuke will keep your lover-boy alive, don’t worry.” The woman smirks at him, and the comment causes Ichigo’s face to gain heat, making him glare at her irritated.

”Who are you even?”

”Right, we haven’t met; my name is Shihouin Yoruichi, I work in the Guard under the special operations squad. To be exact I lead it.”

She introduces herself with clear pride in her voice. Ichigo just stares at her dully, having nothing to say to that.

”How...how did I end up here?”

”Kisuke has kept an eye on you and the sparking brute since you left the safe-house in Hueco Mundo.”

Ichigo’s eyes widen, and he turns to look at Urahara who smiles at him sheepishly.

”....Why didn’t you just help us in the first place?”

”I wanted to, but you weren’t close enough for my range, until now.”

Range?

”We’ll explain everything later on, now go and rest. You can go see your blueberry later.” Yoruichi winks at him.

Somehow, despite not really knowing who she was, her upbeat, confident attitude somehow eased Ichigo’s mind, enough to allow himself to sigh and close his eyes again.

 

 

 

Once Ichigo woke up again, it was late in the evening.

The first change he spots in his room was the two mattresses, both of whom were occupied. Rukia and Renji, they had moves to sleep on the same room just in case. Ichigo examines the two quietly for a moment, relieved to see they seemed fine, if exhausted given the bags under their eyes. All signs of poisoning were gone.

Gently, he steps out of the bed and sneaks out of the room, still anxious about Grimmjow’s condition.

Yoruichi was sitting on the kitchen, drinking her tea, and upon noticing the ginger sneaking around she nods at the door behind her.

The young man thanks her quietly and gingerly walks to it.

Ichigo opens the door quietly and sneaks in, finding himself in one of the guest rooms of this house.

Grimmjow was lying on the bed, the vein structure thankfully gone from his face, but he was still pale like a ghost, and his hair was matted and the usually vivid color had dulled remarkably. He looked feverish. Ichigo walks to him quietly and sits down beside the man, examining every inch of his face with concern tugging at his gut. He was not as bad as he was when Ichigo had passed out, but… he clearly looked worse than Rukia and Renji.

After a moment of just sitting there, Ichigo reaches a hand out to tentatively brush some of the hair off his face.

”You really scared me there you know?”

He mutters out quietly, holding his fingers against the man’s cheek.

Grimmjow’s skin felt colder than usual, which was alarming.

Whatever the pink haired scientist had used on him, it was a really powerful drug, even against someone as powerful as Grimmjow. The blunet did not react to the touch which did not surprise Ichigo; he was clearly still in a deep sleep. Ichigo kept petting the soft blue locks, unable to stop himself.

So far, Grimmjow had been doing so well; he’d been easily capable of dealing with anything thrown at them.

Seeing him like this… it scared Ichigo more than he liked to admit.

The way Ulquiorra had been able to neutralize Grimmjow had already been unnerving, but this was even worse. Grimmjow had nearly died on him again, and Ichigo hated that thought. Granted, he’d forced himself to move only because Ichigo had recklessly charged after Szayel. Then again... he would have probably tried to do it anyway, even if the ginger went voluntarily.

”You’re such a reckless fool, you know that?”

Ichigo whispers, brushing his nose against the blunet’s forehead, before planting a soft kiss there.

”Then again, you’d say the same about me, wouldn’t you?”

He chuckles after a brief pause, resting their foreheads together, his voice shaky.

Their lips were just inches apart, and Ichigo was tempted to lean down and kiss him, but the same time he wanted Grimmjow to be awake to feel it. He wanted to know he’d be okay before doing it.

After a moment, he tries to move away, but then an arm reaches out and grasps the back of his head, stopping him.

The grip was weaker than usual, but Ichigo allows it to bring him back down again to reach Grimmjow’s lips.

The kiss was soft, only lasting for few seconds, but as Ichigo finally leans back, the blunet smirks at him tiredly. His eyes had also dulled in color, but Ichigo was just happy to see he was awake.

“Ya look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“You _look_ like one right now.”

Ichigo tells him softly, brushing the dulled hair.

Grimmjow snorts, and then frowns deeply as even that tiny movement made his head hurt.

“ _Fuck_ , that shit Szayel gave me really is a pain in the ass.”

Ichigo hums, and keeps caressing his face, and his hair, planting another kiss on his forehead.

He couldn’t bring himself to stop.

Grimmjow was clearly slightly confused about his behavior, as he lifts eyebrow at Ichigo once he re-opens his eyes.

“I just…you kinda scared me, not gonna lie.” Ichigo chuckles awkwardly, his voice dangerously shaky now; he felt like he was about to start crying again.

Grimmjow just stares at him, not really knowing how to react. He’d never seen anyone be close to tears over him like this.

Not because of concern, anyway.

“Ya should know it takes more than that to take me out.”

Grimmjow tells him with a slight smirk, before having to close his eyes again as his head hurt so badly. Ichigo just nods after a moment, taking in a shaky breath and wiping his eyes, before getting up and shifting so he could take Grimmjow’s head to his lap. He starts rubbing his scalp gently like he’d done before, and the man relaxes under his touch, figuring it was for the best if he didn’t talk much right now; he was healing thanks to his durability and whatever shit the hat guy gave him, but he still felt crappy.

“What…what happened? Why did you…why did you run after me in that condition?”

Grimmjow remains quiet, his eyes closed.

Ichigo hums figuring the man had fallen asleep again, and just keeps petting his hair, kissing his forehead again.

In truth, Grimmjow was awake, but he felt too sickly to really talk. His mind drifts back on that moment however.

 

 

 

_After seeing Kurosaki disappear into the forest after Szayel, the white cocoon around him slowly dissipated; to be exact, it seemed to enter into his body, Kurosaki’s energy somehow re-vitalizing him, at least momentarily._

_Grimmjow pushes himself off the ground, and glances towards the two officers still on the ground._

_They looked pretty bad, probably minutes away from succumbing to coma._

_Grimmjow knew that Szayel likely had the antidote, but it was not gonna be the thing he showed to Kurosaki._

_He just gazes at them for a moment._

_He could let them die._

_Grimmjow did not have to get the antidote for those two, he owed them nothing._

_The possessive side of his brain purrs at the thought; getting rid of those two would eliminate a clear chance of Kurosaki being ripped away from him. His rational side however, reminded the crazy side that Kurosaki would start hating their guts for this in all likeness._

_The woman was looking at him now, and it seemed that she was aware what he was thinking._

_She doesn’t bitch at him however as one would expect, not because she was weakened though._

_“…Go…protect…Ichigo…”_

_She manages to gasp out, before collapsing back to the ground._

_Grimmjow glances at his hand, noting the signs of poisoning were appearing back slowly; he did not have much time._

_The man turns and heads after Kurosaki. He doubted he’d be on time regardless; this stuff worked fast, so even if he managed to cure himself, he would not make it back to those two in time unless someone interfered._

_That did not matter in the end._

_His goal, from the start, had been to protect Kurosaki, not himself, not anyone else._

_Only Ichigo._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, another chapter.  
> What Urahara was up to, it will be revealed in the next one.


	13. Hope and unease

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grimmjow learns a shocking truth regarding to something he'd done earlier in time, and Ichigo learns new things about an old friend. They touch upon some serious topics from the past.

In the morning, Rukia and Renji stumble out of the room in panic, informing Urahara that Ichigo was missing.

The man just sips his tea calmly and requests them to sit down for breakfast.

”Why should we!? Ichigo disappeared again! How can you possibly...”

Renji gets cut off by Yoruichi, who pats his back harshly with a laugh.

”Relax Abarai; he just sneaked up on watching after his boyfriend.”

It took him a moment to realize the meaning behind those words, but once he does, he stares at the woman stunned.

”What the hell are you on about? Ichigo would never...”

Yoruichi just ruffles his hair like he was a kid, then roughly maneuvers the young man to sit down and eat his food. Rukia watches the show a little shocked, then glances at Urahara, who simply nods towards the door behind him.

”They are probably still asleep so try not to wake them.”

Rukia nods after a moment of hesitation, and gently opens the door, peeking in. She was not sure what she’d find; this whole deal with Ichigo and Jeagerjaquez was confusing to say the least. As her eyes adjust to the dim lighting in the room, she spots the figures lying on the bed. Ichigo was indeed resting beside the lightning elemental, clinging to his arm in his sleep while his head rested against the man’s shoulder.

Even when he was asleep, Ichigo looked slightly anxious, like he feared the man would disappear if he let go.

It was...strange.

She had not seen Ichigo like this before, not since his mother died.

The _stranger_ part was of course the man he was clinging to.

Jeagerjaquez seemed better now, his face no longer pale, and what was peculiar was the fact he did not seem to mind Ichigo holding onto his arm the way he did. He was completely relaxed, head tilted against Ichigo’s, like it was perfectly normal for him to be this close and in this manner to the ginger he’d previously hurt and almost killed.

The fact Ichigo _accepted_ it... Rukia had had her hunch, reading the man’s notebook, and seeing Ichigo’s behavior, but it was clear there were still huge pieces missing from the story.

Suddenly, she realizes that someone was watching her.

Jeagerjaquez was awake, and looking at her directly now, Ichigo’s head still tucked under his chin. His expression was unreadable, but she did see a hint of challenge in his expression.

 

_You got a problem with this?_

 

Calmly, she walks closer until she reaches the chair next to the bed, sitting down on it. After a moment, the blunet pushes himself up, gaining a slight protesting sound from sleeping Ichigo, who moves to wrap his arm around Grimmjow’s waist now, cuddling against him more.

The blunet rolls his eyes at it, before turning to look at Rukia.

”The fuck ya want?”

His voice was quiet, probably to avoid waking Ichigo who was still asleep, or perhaps he was still tired from the poisoning. Likely it was both.

”I still haven’t gotten an exact answer to my question when it comes to this.”

She says calmly, gesturing towards the sleeping ginger clinging to him. Grimmjow glances down at him again, just gazing at Ichigo for a moment.

”As far as we know, you tried to kill him, and injured him severely several times, not to mention the way you held him hostage in his own house.”

Her tone was not accusatory; all of that was simply facts that even Grimmjow understood to be true.

”Ichigo is not the type to fall for people like you. One could say he might’ve suffered from a case of Stockholm syndrome back when he insisted on saving you, but I am starting to think it doesn’t explain the current situation.”

Grimmjow snorts, looking at her with a ’no-shit’ expression.

”At least, I hope it is not the case.”

A roguish smirk appears on Grimmjow’s face, but it seems to be done more out of habit rather than an attempt at intimidating her.

”Ya worried I seduced ’im or some shit like that?”

Rukia crosses her arms, but remains silent. Her gaze was unwavering as she stared down the normally volatile lightning elemental, and Grimmjow had to admit, he was slowly gaining more respect to this shortie.

”I dunno. Maybe I did at first, didn’t mean to, really.”

He shrugs, then flinches as the action makes his head hurt a bit. Grimmjow rubs his eyes and waits for the lights on his vision to settle.

”.....I just want to make sure you aren’t leading him on.”

” _That’s_ your biggest worry here?”

Grimmjow snorts with a chuckle, making Ichigo shift in his sleep but not wake up. After glancing down at the ginger again, the blunet sighs and rubs his eyes.

”Don’t blame ya fer being doubtful. Hell, I’M pretty sure this is a bad idea, but the fucker won’t listen to me.”

Rukia was... surprised about the answer, to say the least. Not the bit of Ichigo not listening to someone, but the tone the man was using; it felt genuine, like Jeagerjaquez really thought he was not the right one for Ichigo, and was actually concerned that things would end up bad because of the ginger’s apparent affection for him.

He actually seemed to care, _genuinely_ , about Ichigo’s wellbeing.

”....What changed your mind?”

She asks quietly after a moment, making the blunet look up at her with lift eyebrow.

”Given how badly you treated him, I figured you despised Ichigo. Why did that change?”

Grimmjow remains quiet for a long moment.

He didn’t have to tell her anything.

Hell, giving her the most vile answer he could would probably be for the best, as then maybe his friends could perhaps be able to drag Kurosaki away from him and save his ass.

Except, the blunet had a feeling she would no longer buy that psycho-sadistic persona he’d held up for so long. The fact she was no longer afraid at all indicated that she saw trough his mask.

With a sigh, the blunet turns to look at Ichigo, who’d actually climbed onto his lap in his sleep, upper body resting on him, arms still around his waist. He brings a hand up to scratch the orange locks lightly, gaining a pleased hum from the sleeping figure.

”....Nah. I never hated him, not really.”

Rukia is yet again surprised, but remains quiet, sensing the man was going to elaborate to his answer. Perhaps his poisoning and weaker state had made him more mellow and more likely to talk, perhaps he felt there was no point in lying or hiding this anymore.

”The state I was in, it makes ya impulsive as fuck. I didn’t...mean ta beat him up that bad. He pissed me off alright, but normally I would’ve left it at insults or one smack.”

Grimmjow mutters, not lifting his gaze from the task at hand, still combing trough the orange locks.

”When I finally left his place... I did not really mangle him into that condition purely out of spite or anger. I did it ’cause I was hoping he’d stay away and let me die.”

Grimmjow admits quietly, lifting his head to look up at the short woman directly with a tired look.

Rukia began to get the sense that the man she was talking to right now was the _real_ Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez, beneath the cruel, sadistic mask he’d worn back then.

Beneath all the craziness and instability.

”The whole time I was there...it sorta felt like I was fighting with myself; I couldn’t understand why the fuck he was being nice to me, and the same time I kind of appreciated it.”

”.....So you acted the way you did because you did not know how to react to it? Or because you were... afraid of it?”

It was a risky choice to claim Grimmjow was scared of something, but Rukia got the sense he was not up for violence right now. Indeed, the man just snorts, turning his gaze back to Ichigo.

”T’was more of a fight between trying to hold back, and not wanting to hold back. On one hand, I wanted ta keep him and his bloody kindness at arms’ length, but on other, I didn’t really enjoy throwing him around as much as I normally would.”

Rukia hums, gaze drifting towards Ichigo as well.

She was not too surprised about this part; Ichigo’s kindness could be confusing to some, as he was willing to show it even to those who deemed themselves unworthy of it.

”....All those times you visited Ichigo. Was it to make amends for your earlier behavior?”

”Might be.” Grimmjow comments with a shrug, rubbing his eyes as he began to feel lightly dizzy.

Rukia examines the man for a long moment, making him feel like he was being evaluated somehow. He did not care too much, but it was still lightly uncomfortable.

”....Perhaps you should rest a bit more. You still look terrible.”

Grimmjow stares at her baffled for a moment, then snorts, rolling his eyes as he slumps back down, muttering something under his breath. Rukia gets up and walks back to the door, but she glances at the two moments before leaving.

Ichigo had shifted up to rest his head on Grimmjow’s chest now, and the man kept an arm around him, something that clearly pleased the sleeping male as there was a slight smile on his lips. As she staps back to the kitchen, Renji looks at her with a concerned frown.

”Is Ichigo...”

Rukia just waves her hand with a smile, reassuring their friend was okay.

”He just needs a bit more sleep.”

 

 

 

Once Ichigo stirred finally, it was near midday.

”About time. Ya squeeze so hard it’s difficult ta breathe.”

A rough voice chuckles into his ear and Ichigo sits up abruptly, apologizing if he made Grimmjow’s rest difficult.

The man just rolls his eyes and shifts up slowly, leaning back against his arms for a moment, until he was certain he was stable enough.

”Are you...”

Grimmjow takes a quick inventory on himself, noting that most of the ache and nausea was gone.

”I’m good.”

Ichigo lets out a sigh of relief, giving him a warm smile.

It was such a sappy, loving expression that Grimmjow almost felt disgusted by it; how the hell could this shithead like him so much?

Even if he’d stopped voicing his protests out about this situation, it did not mean the man did not question Kurosaki’s sanity still.

A second later, the hat wearing man steps in, greeting them with a good morning.

”I see you’ve gained back most of your strength, Jeagerjaquez san.”

The man observes, gaining a shrug from the blunet.

”Szayel’s tricks will never be good enough ta finish me off anyway.”

Urahara hums at that, then turns to look at Ichigo.

”You seem better as well, Kurosaki-san.”

Ichigo just nods, giving Urahara a smile.

”Thank you; I really thought they’d...”

He could not finish his sentence, glancing at Grimmjow.

”Luckily for you, I managed to locate and follow your tracks ever since I received a call from a person in Hueco Mundo.”

Ichigo lifts eyebrow at that.

”Apparently a man I know had ran into the criminal who’d hurt his son.”

Urahara comments calmly, looking pointedly at Grimmjow, who tenses slightly.

”He was quite upset, but also confused as he thought this man had died a while back.”

Grimmjow snorts, muttering something ugly under his breath as he averts his gaze, clearly uncomfortable.

”Urahara-san, could you please not bring this up too much? Grimm really didn’t want to kill the poor boy.” Ichigo requests softly, glancing at the blunet with a sad look.

Grimmjow still avoided looking at either of them directly.

”......I am quite surprised you’d actually regret your actions.”

The blunet turns to glare at Urahara, clearly slightly pissed off right now.

”Yeah, I’m nothing but a monster with no heart or soul, isn’t that what everybody says? I kill little brats and puppies for fun an’ eat ’em for breakfast.”

His bitter, borderline offended tone seems to take Urahara by surprise for a second, but soon his face twists into a slight amused smile.

”No one is born a monster. I am aware of that. Besides...”

The man pauses for dramatic effect, almost making Ichigo roll his eyes; he could not remember much about the man yet, other than he was trustworthy, but Ichigo did recall that he was overdramatic as all hell.

”The boy is not dead.”

Ichigo’s earlier eye roll turns into a stunned silence, and he just stares at Urahara.

Not just him, even Grimmjow looks at the man like he’d lost his mind.

” ** _Bullshit._** I saw the kid die! Szayel even went ahead and dragged his body away!”

Grimmjow near snarls at Urahara now, and Ichigo was concerned he’d jump at the man like he’d almost attacked Renji, so he places a hand on Grimmjow’s chest to keep him still.

”I can understand why you believe so, but Wonderweiss survived. Ironically, it was because of you.”

Both just stare at Urahara now, and the man was clearly amused by their reactions. Before Grimmjow could snap at him again, Urahara holds his hand up, telling him that they should eat first, for they had a lot to discuss later.

”I will tell you what you wish to know, but right now it is better if you both get some nutrition in your bodies after that venomous ordeal.”

He tells the two with a cheerful smile, turning around his heels and walking out of the room, leaving the two in stunned silence.

Eventually, Ichigo manages to turn his head to look at Grimmjow, who was just staring into thin air now, face a mixture of shock, confusion and a bit of typical anger. He wanted to shake Grimmjow out of it, but the same time felt tol hesitant to even touch him right now, so he just sat there, waiting for him to come back to earth from his thoughts.

Grimmjow could not buy anything the fucker said; not when he’d seen the kid collapse to the floor, clearly not breathing.

Then again... he hadn’t _looked_ that much, not wanting to.

He’d just wanted to get the hell outta there as soon as he could.

The shock he’d given to the boy back then.... it was enough to stop someone’s heart and damage their nerve system.

How the hell could anyone survive that?

A tentative hand brushing over his shoulder snaps the man out of it, and he turns to look at Kurosaki, who looked as confused as he felt right now. The ginger was clearly also worried about him, which was ridiculous; they were talking about a kid he’d supposedly killed - or at least hurt - yet Kurosaki was concerned for _him._

”...Urahara is not someone who lies, especially not about things like this.”

Ichigo tells him quietly after a moment of uneasy silence, gaining a slight snort from the blunet.

”How do ya know? Can you even remember the fucker?”

”A little bit. I know he leaves things unsaid, but he doesn’t lie about serious matters.”

There was that typical conviction in his voice, like Kurosaki was absolutely certain what he said was true. Grimmjow had his reasons to doubt that conviction, given it was also aimed towards the thought that the blunet wasn’t in fact a crazy, sadistic piece of shit like he knew he was.

”Come on; we should probably do as he recommends and get some food.”

Ichigo nudges his shoulder gently, nodding towards the door.

 

 

The ginger examines Grimmjow still concerned. The man barely ate anything, and he was clearly sunken in thought. Renji was still giving him suspicious looks, but the blunet clearly ignored them.

Ichigo reaches for the blue locks that were still messy from sleep, and gently tidies them up. He did not have to do so, but the young man couldn’t help himself. He could tell Grimmjow was tense and clearly troubled, and he wanted to ease his mind somehow. A flashback hits him at that moment, and he pauses, gazing into thin air as he recalls that night when they’d first....

It was right after Ukitake had told him the sad news regarding Grimmjow’s condition back then.

He was currently having a similar, weary expression on his face, although it had a bit more life to it.

 

 

Meanwhile, Renji was sitting on the bench near the window, face in a deep frown as he watched the two. He did not understand the concern he saw on Ichigo’s eyes, let alone the slight soft touches he kept giving to the lunatic. He was acting like a concerned lover, and Renji had no fucking clue why.

”Renji, calm down.” Rukia nudges him quietly as she sits down beside the man, making the redhead look at her miffed.

”Why is Ichigo doing that? That bastard nearly killed him.”

The woman sighs and smiles a bit, drinking her tea.

”I spoke with Jeagerjaquez.”

”You can actually talk with that crazy bastard?”

Rukia gives him a look, before sipping her tea again.

”He genuinely cares for Ichigo, I could tell. He is aware of his past actions too and doesn’t exactly agree with what he did, regarding to Ichigo anyway.”

Renji lets out a slight snort, gaining a confused look from Ichigo.

He quickly turns his attention back to his target of affection however, grasping Grimmjow’s hand to get him to look at the ginger.

”Hard to imagine he’d regret anything he did.”

”....To be fair, we do not know him that well. We only know what we have been shown in the files and what we have seen so far in those few times we ran across him.”

Renji looks at her with a baffled look. Why was Rukia so calm about this?

**_”Stop fussing over me dammit!”_ **

Suddenly, a voice brought their attention back to the table.

They turn to look at Ichigo, who’d backed away slightly after that sudden angry outburst from Grimmjow, who was just staring at the ginger irritated now.

”Oy, asshole, he was just worried about you!” Renji tells the blunet sternly, who glances at him with an annoyed look.

”Stop opening yer mouth if all that comes out is noise.”

”What did you say?!”

Renji quickly stands up, but Rukia grabs his arm and forces him to sit back down, telling the redhead this was no time to start a fight. Ichigo seems to agree as he’d grasped Grimmjow’s shoulder, giving him a frown.

”Grimm, please, don’t pick a fight with him.”

His voice was stern but gentle, the kind Renji had seen Ichigo use towards his sisters when they were sick.

The blue eyes turn to stare at Ichigo, but he says nothing. It was clear the man wanted to argue, but the same time he knew Kurosaki was right; this was not really the time to bother with the damn pineapple head.

”My, it’s only morning and your tempers flare already?”

Yoruichi chuckles as she enters in the room, gaining everyone’s attention.

”But since you two finally decided to join us, I suppose it is time to talk about business.”

Her face turns serious again as she crosses her arms, and nods towards the corridor. Ichigo glances at the blunet, who huffs out a sigh and gets up, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

”M’guessing the blond bastard wants to talk with us, huh?”

”Don’t call Urahara san a bastard!”

Renji protests instantly, but he gains a stern look from a trio of people - Yoruichi, Rukia, and Ichigo - and the redhead closes his mouth abruptly, realizing that yeah, picking a fight right now was not a good idea.

Ichigo gets up too with a sigh, and follows Grimmjow and Yoruichi to Urahara’s office.

 

”Please, sit down.” The man gestures at the chairs he’d provided, although the only one to sit is Ichigo, as Grimmjow prefers to stand, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed.

The ginger gives him a slight disapproving look, but says nothing, turning his attention towards Urahara.

”What do you wanted to talk with us about?”

”Rather, what do YOU wish to know, wouldn’t that be the question?”

The man points out amused, smile hidden by his fan. Ichigo rubs his head with an awkward laugh; right.

”Fer starters; ya said you tracked us since a while. How the hell did you do that?”

”That cabin your associate brought you in, happens to be mine.”

Both men frown at that revelation.

”When you entered in it, I was... notified about it, so to say.”

”How ta hell did ya even build one in there without anyone noticing? I’ve been around that place and never saw a bloody cabin there before.” Grimmjow questions the man, his frown nor voice never losing its suspiciousness. Urahara hums, lowering his fan to the table.

Suddenly, he _vanishes_ from sight.

Yoruichi smirks amused at the two, who look around, only to find the man standing on the doorway.

Not only that, he was holding a lock of Ichigo’s hair in his hand.

The ginger’s eyes widen, and he instantly brushes his hair, noticing that a small bit was shorter than the rest now.

Grimmjow tenses instantly upon noticing that too, glaring at the man with a confused, and an angry frown. He had not sensed the bastard moving, which was weird.

First, he was in one spot, and the next second he was elsewhere.

”How did you...?”

The next second, Urahara was sitting back in front of him, the lock of hair and a pair of scissors in the table in front of him.

”My elemental ability is...more peculiar than most. Peculiar, because it has only one elemental level. You cannot really create more space-time per say, because it would require more energy than an entire population on dozens of earths could produce.”

Urahara explains calmly, noting that the blunet had shifted to stand beside Ichigo now, clearly slightly protective after that show. The man found it amusing, but knew not to comment on the obvious fondness the former criminal held towards the young officer.

”Spacetime? Is _that_ your element?”

Ichigo asks dumbfounded; he could not recall ever hearing of such an element to be able to exist, let alone know Urahara had one in the first place.

The man just nods slightly.

”I can move objects within spacetime, which explains the peculiarity of the cabin; it wasn’t build in Hueco Mundo. I moved it there with my ability to have a closer, secret access to the city.”

”Why the fuck would ya do that? Ain’t you just a doc?”

Grimmjow questions the man, a hand on the back of Ichigo’s chair.

He was squeezing it so hard the ginger worried the wood would splinter under his grip.

”I do other things as well.”

Urahara states diplomatically, before coughing and returning back to his explanation.

”In any case; due to my ability, I am also able to feel things within spacetime that I ’own’ so to say. I literally sensed you two enter the cabin, as well as when that raven haired man came to investigate it earlier. I almost planned on teleporting it back after that event, but I am glad I didn’t do so.”

”So...what you just did...how did you..?” Ichigo brushes his hair uncertain, gaining a slight playful smile from Urahara.

”Time. I simply slowed the time in this room for you two, so you didn’t notice me getting up and cutting your hair, before walking past you to the door.”

Grimmjow examines the hat wearing man with a deep frown.

He did not like hearing about such an ability existing; it sounded like a pain in the ass to deal with, overpowered almost. As if guessing his thoughts, the blond haired man looks up at him.

”Like with every element, it has its drawbacks; spacetime users tend to have weaker bodies than normal due to accelerated aging - you cannot tell it from my appearance granted, but I do have some age related health issues - and we get disoriented and dizzy almost constantly. It is... not that suitable for direct combat.”

Ichigo’s eyes widen, and he glances at the cane Urahara had. Thinking back on his aloof behavior and the fact he always had that in hand because he was so clumsy... what Urahara said made sense.

”Don’t mean shit if you can just creep up on people an’ stab them in the back before they can do anything.”

Grimmjow growls at him lowly, and Ichigo could tell the blunet was unnerved. He could understand why the man was testy; unlike Ichigo, he had no solid reason to trust Urahara.

”Relax, Jeagerjaquez; Kisuke is the only person in a hundred years that has this ability, and mastering it to a level he has takes years. Besides he is not that kind of person.”

Yoruichi informs the tense blunet casually, who just glances at her skeptic.

”I admittedly lost track of you two after you left the cabin, thought given I could listen in your conversations, I had an idea that you were heading for Rukongai. I just did not know how long it would take.”

Ichigo pauses, then as Urahara’s words hit home properly, his face starts gaining color.

If Urahara was listening in...

He hides his face with an embarrassed noise, gaining a slight snicker from Yoruichi, who knew what was up.

”Oh don’t worry; Kisuke tuned out if things got...too interesting.”

Grimmjow just glares at her. He was not embarrassed himself - not something he’d do about this kind of shit - but he could tell Kurosaki was uncomfortable.

”Gods, I kind of want to sink underground right now.” Ichigo mutters after a moment, unable to lift his gaze from the floor as his face fumed.

”....That aside. When Wonderweiss’ father called me, I got a rough idea how long it would take from you two to arrive to Rukongai. I did not expect seeing Kuchiki and Abarai-san there too.”

”Good thing we came around, or you guys would be dead.” Yoruichi informs them, now sounding more serious.

Bringing up that name again makes Ichigo lift his gaze, as he recalled something Urahara had said earlier.

”....You said...something about that boy _not_ being dead?”

He could feel Grimmjow tense beside him again, but the man didn’t move away. Urahara remains quiet for a moment, then gestures at Yoruichi to close the door, which she does. After that, the man leans towards them, crossing his hands over the table.

”I was not lying; the boy survived due to a miracle. Or rather, a chance choice made by Jeagerjaquez.”

Ichigo glances up at the blunet, who was pointedly avoiding their gazes.

”.....Given you seem to have knowledge of this incident, I assume he has told you about it.”

Ichigo just nods, turning his gaze back to Urahara.

”He said....Aizen would have punished him if he didn’t do it. He didn’t want to.”

Why was he defending Grimmjow again, when he knew the blunet did not want it, and it didn’t look like Urahara was being judgmental?

”....Perhaps. But I doubt that was the real reason why you did it.”

Those words were aimed towards Grimmjow, whose grip on Ichigo’s chair was so tight that it was in fact cracking slightly. The ginger reaches a hand out to brush his white knuckles, and the man defuses, letting go of Ichigo’s chair with a sigh, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he paces to the window, gazing outside.

”......T’was ’cause of Nnoitra. The fucker was all too eager to mess with the sorry little shit. Yeah, it was the point and all, but...”

He turns slowly to look at them, face in a deep frown.

The next words came out quietly, laced with reluctance; he clearly didn't like talking about this.

”We used ta be like ’im ya know? Outcasts to society. The kid was...lessay not the brightest bulb in the box, an’ the reason he was so easy to kidnap was because his pops was pretty damn neglectful back then. Everybody around him didn’t seem to give a shit. The brat was also easy ta mess with, too weak to defend himself in any way. Just like us, back when we were sorry brats ourselves.”

Grimmjow turns to look towards the window again.

”Just like us. Most of us ended up at Shaw....”

Grimmjow bites his lip and swallows down hardly, and Ichigo feels the urge to get up and walk there to comfort him, but he chooses to stay still, figuring Grimmjow would not like it right now.

”We ended up in orphanages an’ streets because nobody gave a shit. It wasn’t our fault, we were just kids. Nnoitra was the same, a fuckin’ punk running around Hueco Mundo’s streets, picking fights an’ getting in trouble till Aizen picked him up.”

He turns to look at them properly now, bits of anger in his expression.

”We were shunned ’cause of something we couldn’t help. The power we had was not given ta us by our own choice, just like that kiddo never chose to be the way he was. He never even had anything ta do with Aizen’s dealings.”

The man stomps to Urahara’s table now, slamming a hand against the wooden surface, nearly startling Ichigo due to the loud sound it made.

” _Why_ did I do it? Because the kid was gonna suffer unnecessarily fer shit he had nothing to do with, if I let that bastard do it. I couldn’t really go an’ help him escape, _not_ because I was afraid of some stupid punishment.”

He closes his eyes with a frown, looking like the next bit was hard for him to admit. The words come out as a choked admittance, as if he had to struggle against himself to get them out.

”I am ....I’m _not_ the strongest out of them. Never....never was. The kid would have died either way. At least I could make it relatively quick.”

Ichigo gazes at him concerned.

Sure, he had known this somewhat, given Grimmjow had mentioned it to him and he had seen it happen with Ulquiorra, but... having him admit it to someone else than Ichigo, it had to require the man to really swallow his pride.

”....I see. That actually fits with the profile I developed of you back then.”

Grimmjow just snorts and backs away, brushing trough his hair irritated. He clearly hated having to say that, having to admit his weakness, but Ichigo was honestly proud of him; being able to understand and see your own shortcomings enabled people to change and develop.

”Well, regardless of your reasoning, it was a good thing you did it, because it turned out the kid was immune to lightning.”

Yoruichi joins in the conversation, making Grimmjow whip around and stare at her in disbelief.

”The hell are you on about? I saw him seizure and twitch about when I did it. The brat even made a noise.”

Ichigo noted Grimmjow was keeping his description fairly vague, but it still sounded awful.

He hoped to god he’d never have to watch that video.

”While it did make his muscles spasm and cause verbal reactions, it didn’t actually hurt young Wonderweiss. You see...that boy is in fact a _lightning elemental_ of your level.”

Both young men are stunned silent, and they just stare at Urahara.

”That’s impossible! The kid should’ve shown signs of it ages ago. He was just a normal human brat!” Grimmjow protests instantly, which was understandable.

He had never sensed any elemental energy from the boy.

”That is... because his case is rather unique; not only his mind was slightly underdeveloped for his age, so were his elemental powers. The reaction you saw back then was not him being hurt by your lightning, but rather his own power activating.”

”But... if it happens that late...Grimmjow said it could kill, which is why his level get it so early.”

Ichigo frowns confused, glancing at Grimmjow who just nods, glaring at Urahara questioningly.

”Normally it indeed would. But you see, Jeagerjaquez-san did not only activate his dormant ability, he also channeled away the excess energy the late blooming outburst would normally create.”

It was clear to Ichigo from the shine in Urahara’s eyes, that he found all this fascinating.

”Are you fucking kidding me?!” Grimmjow huffs out, clearly not sure if he should be shocker or angry or in disbelief.

He was probably feeling all of them right now.

”No I am not, though I don’t blame you for thinking so.”

Suddenly, a borderline mad laughter erupts from Grimmjow’s lips, and he suddenly grasp Urahara’s collar to bring them face-to-face, taking the man by surprise. Yoruichi reaches slightly for her elemental stunner, but Ichigo holds his hand up, telling it was okay.

”He’s not angry enough to attempt to harm him.” Ichigo tells the woman sternly, eyes still trained at the two.

Yoruichi contemplates on it for a moment, then relaxes and crosses her arms again. She had a pretty good feeling that Ichigo could read the blunet better than anyone else right now.

”I SAW the kid die. I saw Szayel and fuckin’ Nnoitra drag his unmoving body away. If yer tryin’ ta pull some sick joke on me...”

Urahara vanishes from his grip, and Grimmjow leans against the table, turning to glare at the man now standing in front of the window, fan hiding his face.

”I would never joke of such matters. As for your question; we were on stand by. We knew he was in the mine, just not the exact location. However, your two comrades happened to enter trough my occupied ’space’ and I could track where they brought his unconscious body. All I had to do then was switch him up with a dummy that they threw down the deep end of the mine. Given it was dark neither of the two noticed the switch.”

Ichigo just stares at Urahara in awe and confusion; this sounded like he used to work with the Guard at some point.

The man had never mentioned it to Ichigo however.

”That sounds kinda far fetched, don’t ya think?” Grimmjow tells him skeptic, and the man hums, appearing beside his table again, pulling out a file and showing it to Grimmjow.

Ichigo gets up now and walks closer to see it too.

He could tell from Grimmjow’s widened expression, that the blond haired boy was likely the one they’d been speaking about.

He was clearly alive in the photos, and mostly healthy looking.

”These were taken just few weeks ago; he is kept in a special location of mine, where we both protect him from Aizen, as well as monitor his development. His unique circumstance can prove to be valuable information for future generations.”

”So he is a fucking _lab rat?”_

Grimmjow snorts, not sounding too pleased.

”Not exactly; we are providing him with the care he needs - we have consent from his father - and Wonderweiss is quite happy in that place. He is especially fond of Ukitake-san who often visits him as he is a supervisor to this project alongside myself.”

Ichigo just gazes trough the images and text on the file, still a little stunned. Who would have thought fate would have such a twist in store?

He lifts his gaze up to smile at Grimmjow, only to be met with blue eyes staring down at the pictures, filled with some sort of uncontrollable fury.

Not only that, his aura was sparking around him now, and it causes Yoruichi to pull out her stunner, pointing it at the man just in case.

”.....Grimm?”

Ichigo whispers softly, placing a hand on his shoulder, only touching him hurt this time, as his aura was zapping anything that got too close.

_”....Why the fuck ya keep doin’ this to me?”_

It felt like a general statement, not aimed at anyone.

Before Ichigo could say or ask anything, Grimmjow throws the file off the table with a growl, scattering the papers all around them. He was shaking with anger now, his breath heaving. Urahara had backed away too, although he seemed unusually calm.

”Why is it so difficult fer you to GET IT?” He muttered out, glaring at the papers on the floor, his aura leaving a dark spot on the floor where he stood.

After a moment of tense silence, he suddenly turns on his heels and marches off, not looking at anyone, including Ichigo who called after him worried.

After the door slams closed behind him, the trio just stood there in silence. Eventually, Yoruichi puts his stunner away, looking after the man with lift eyebrow.

”Well, that was.., surprising. You’d think he’d be happy to hear the kid was alive, given he sounded like he regretted it.”

Urahara hums at that, looking at Ichigo who sighs softly, shaking his head, before walking to the papers and gathering them back up for Urahara.

”He doesn’t think he deserves it. The second chance.”

Ichigo explains quietly after placing the papers back on to the table, turning to look at Yoruichi with a melancholic look.

”I remember he was....suicidal back when we met. While I don’t think its that bad anymore, the self-loathing still hasn’t gone away.”

Yoruichi hums, nodding a bit, then looking at Kisuke.

”Should we discuss that other matter with him now?”

After a moment, the blond shakes his head.

”I think that was enough excitement for today; besides I think it is for the best if Jeagerjaquez is here to hear it too, and I doubt he is ready for that right now.”

Ichigo lifts eyebrow at the two, but they remain quiet. Urahara sighs as he takes the papers and puts them away, back into the cabinet he took them out from.

”That being said; I was hoping to mention to him that Wonderweiss’ condition could turn out to be of help for him too.”

Ichigo turns to look at Urahara confused.

”His elemental-typical moodswings, the one we likely witnessed just now, Wonderweiss doesn’t show any signs of it. It’s been years since, and there is still nothing. We believe he may be immune to lightning madness.”

Ichigo’s eyes widen in shock, and then he leans against the table, staring at Urahara intently.

”Could....could that really be of help?”

”Perhaps. We might even be able to learn things to prevent his kindred from going into overload, and perhaps even other types as well. Wonderweiss’ unique status has provided us with a lot of opportunities we never thought possible.” Urahara tells him, clearly about as excited about this as Ichigo, though he also likely understood it better than the ginger.

”That’s...amazing. And it’s all because...”

”Yep. Had your boyfriend not chosen to do it instead - because based on our profiling it did not really seem like Jeagerjaquez to torture a defenseless child like that - we would have never made this discovery. World sort of owes him a favor.”

Yoruichi smirks a bit, though it’s not as wide as before.

”That is, if he’ll accept it.”

Ichigo turns his gaze to the floor with a slight sad look.

Yeah, getting Grimmjow to accept something like this, a second chance.

It would be difficult.

 

 

 

Ichigo eventually found him from the same room he’d been in originally.

He’d decided to wait until Grimmjow cooled off, catching up with Renji and Rukia. The redhead was still clearly miffed about his apparent relationship with Grimmjow, but Ichigo reassured him the blunet was not as bad as he initially seemed like.

”So please, try not to call him sonofabitch at least. Grimmjow takes any mother-related insults very personally.”

Renji lifts eyebrow at that.

”He....he really loved his mum.”

Ichigo explains softly, glancing towards the door of the room Grimmjow was in. He did not wish to tell them too much without permission.

”...Oh. My bad.” Renji states finally after a moment.

It was hard to imagine a crazy bastard like Jeagerjaquez to care for anybody, but clearly he cared for Ichigo, so a mother was a possibility as well.

Besides, it was not like anyone was born a monster, even he knew that.

”I’m guessing something bad happened to her.” Rukia comments softly, gaining a slight nod from Ichigo.

Neither of his friends asked more about it, sensing it was not their place to know about it, unless Grimmjow would let Ichigo tell the whole story, which wasn’t likely.

 

 

It wasn’t really until the evening that Ichigo dared to enter the room, noting the slightly oppressive aura had finally vanished.

The man was lying on the bed, back turned towards Ichigo.

He was clearly still sulking, but no longer radiating sparks. Ichigo walks to sit beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder gently. For a moment neither of them spoke.

”I just don’t get it.”

Grimmjow finally mutters out, staring at the wall ahead of him.

”...That the world wants to give you a chance?”

Grimmjow just nods, still not looking at Ichigo.

The ginger sighs and shifts to lie down beside him, gently caressing the blue hair at the back of his head, pressing a soft kiss there.

”I suppose I see why its hard for you to accept. After all you’ve gone trough and done, but...”

”Ya don’t get to choose when yer given a second chance, I know.” Grimmjow huffs, finally turning to face Ichigo.

He looked tired again, like being mad had sucked all the energy out of him. Ichigo lifts his hand again to brush some escaped locks away from his face, before dropping it between them.

”Are you afraid you’ll screw it up?”

Ichigo questions softly, keeping his voice quiet. Fear was not one of those things Grimmjow liked admitting, but he’d already established he could not really hide shit from Kurosaki, not that long.

”I know I will. I’m a crazy fucker, you know it, they know it, everyone who’s ever fucking heard of me does!”

Grimmjow hisses at him quietly, but his tone lacked proper bite.

”....If that were true, why do you seem to care about things? The uncaring psycho doesn’t really seem to be your thing after all.” Ichigo points out with a light-hearted tone, but there was sadness to his eyes.

”You _know_ why I act the way I do.”

Grimmjow tells him simply, shifting to his side so he could mingle his fingers with Kurosaki’s. It was a sappy gesture, but he didn’t give a damn right now.

”Exactly; you don’t behave like this because it is who you are. It’s more of a shield of sorts you use to keep people away.”

”Cause they keep dyin’ on me.”

The blunet mutters out, his voice slightly shaky.

Ichigo shifts closer to kiss his forehead and cheek, squeezing his hand reassuringly. He hated the thought of seeing Grimmjow cry, it did not suit him, not the fake persona he held up, nor the true, honestly kinder personality beneath. Him showing emotion was not a bad thing, but... right now, it made him look so hopeless, which was too similar to his depressive state, something Ichigo didn't want to see from him ever again.

”Well I am not dead yet, am I?”

Grimmjow snorts at that, looking aside for a moment.

”Weight on the word yet, yer a reckless fucker.”

Ichigo chuckles lightly, unable to really deny that. He tilts their foreheads together, closing his eyes for a moment to contemplate on his next words.

”You can’t change the facts.”

He begins, opening his eyes to look into the sky blue ones that examined him quietly.

”The boy is alive, and by a twist of fate, it was thanks to your uncharacteristic decision back then. Perhaps it feels a little like bullshit move, a cop out from life’s part, but we cannot change it, and deep down, you don’t want to change it, do you?”

Grimmjow doesn’t reply, but Ichigo could tell from the way his gaze drifts aside for a moment, that he was right. The ginger squeezes his hand lightly to get the man to look at him again.

”Give yourself a chance. Perhaps it is risky, but... you’ve always lived on the edge, haven’t you?”

Grimmjow just stares at him baffled for a moment, then rolls to his back as he slowly starts snickering, a sound that eventually turns into a full blown laughter. Ichigo is confused by his reaction at first, but eventually the man tilts his head back towards him, an amused smirk on his lips.

”Well aren’t ya a smartass.”

Ichigo smirks right back at him, then shifts closer to slump on top of the man, gaining an eye roll from Grimmjow.

”Heavy. The fuck did they feed ya?”

The man fake-complains, gaining an equally faked pouty look from Ichigo. It doesn’t last long however as the blunet pushes himself up lightly to plant a firm kiss on his mouth. Ichigo responds to the touch, his arms sneaking around Grimmjow’s neck, one hand mingling into the blue hair. The man allows Ichigo to push him back down, never breaking the kiss between them.

When the ginger finally pushes back a little, he was panting heavily, his face flushed red. He kept gazing down at the blunet with now heated look, and the man sneaks his hand under Ichigo’s shirt, rubbing the skin on his back, drawing circles with his fingers.

”I know that prepping speeches can be _arousing_ , but probably not like this.”

Grimmjow teases the ginger above him upon noticing the look aimed at him. Ichigo huffs and smacks his head lightly, but he was snickering too soon after.

Eventually though, the snicker turns into a warm smile, the kind Grimmjow both loved and hated.

Hated, because he didn’t deserve it.

A hand that had previously smacked the blunet plants itself against the side of his face, and Ichigo caresses his skin with his thumb, before trailing the rest of them down his jawline. It was another one of those sickly sweet, adoring gestures that Grimmjow wasn’t entirely comfortable with, but he chose not to complain, it would have been a bratty thing to do anyway.

Ichigo leans closer to kiss him again, and this time it was slower, gentler, and spoke of the undeniable and slightly concerning fact that Grimmjow was not the only one with deep - and questionable - feelings towards the other. Part lf him wanted to shove Kurosaki off him, to tell him to get the hell away from him, but... it was near impossible to do when the ginger was kissing him like this.

It was endearing and borderline seducing in all the right and wrong ways, and Grimmjow found himself wrapping his arms tighter around Kurosaki, a hand sneaking up to mingle into the orange locks.

Ichigo lets out a pleased groan as Grimmjow tugs on them lightly, and presses himself tighter against the body beneath him.

As Grimmjow’s hand sneaks to slip under his waistband however, Ichigo grabs it and stops him, pushing back and panting for a moment to get his breathing back under control.

The blunet just looks at him with a slightly hungry gaze now, and seeing it made Ichigo shudder lightly.

He had not really intended for things to lead to this, but... _Oh well._

Ichigo leans closer, just letting his breath brush over Grimmjow’s lips, his orange hair tickling his face.

”As much as I’d enjoy that, I’d rather want to take care of _you_ for a change.”

Grimmjow flashes him a roguish smirk, tugging half-heartedly on the arm pinning his wrist to the mattress. He could break free easily if he wanted to, but given the look Kurosaki was giving him, the man wasn’t too eager on it.

”What makes ya think I’d let you?”

Ichigo chuckles lowly at that, the sound sending a jolt of heat down his spine.

”You would have thrown me off already if you didn’t like the idea.”

Ichigo whispers against his mouth, before closing the gap between them.

Grimmjow had no fucking clue where this newfound confidence from the ginger had come from, but he enjoyed it. Maybe it was because he wasn’t exactly feeling as confidently smug as he usually did, or it was because the fucker had gained his sense of self back now that he remembered more.

Either way, the heated look aimed at him was probably something that would burn itself into Grimmjow’s brain for the rest of his life.

”Let me do this for you.” Ichigo tells him softly after parting once again, his tone gentler now, though not without heat.

Grimmjow remains quiet for a long moment, just gazing up at him.

Finally, he closes his eyes with a sigh, nodding slightly. Ichigo’s smile widens, and he plants several kisses on his face like a lovesick puppy, until finally reaching his lips again.

It was a heated kiss, and the ginger presses his tongue against Grimmjow’s lips, and he parts them to allow Ichigo to slip in and play with his tongue. It was... weird, letting Kurosaki lead for once, but it did not feel that awful. In fact, it felt kind of good.

Eventually, Ichigo slips his hands under Grimmjow’s shirt and swiftly removes it, taking a good, adoring look down at him, before getting rid of his own. He leans back down instantly for another heated kiss, and fuck, it felt so much better without too much clothing between them.

“Just relax and let me take care of _you_ for a bit. I owe you.”

Ichigo near coos at him, almost making the man roll his eyes at the eagerness.

He didn’t say anything however, doing exactly what Kurosaki told him to.

 

 

 

Aizen was _not_ happy, which surprised nobody.

Szayel had in the end not managed to capture Kurosaki and Jeagerjaquez, returning gravely injured. The only reason he wasn’t executed yet was likely because the man still had use for his intelligence.

Ulquiorra knew what was coming next, as he was summoned to their leaders’ office alongside Nnoitra.

“Since your comrade could not do it, I’ll leave this job to you.”

Nnoitra glances at the raven haired man, not eager on working with him; not only was Cifer creepy, he was aware the freak had a thing for Jeagerjaquez.

“You ain’t gonna stab us in the back, are ya?” He questions the man once they leave their leader’s office.

The green eyes drift at him slowly, nearly making Nnoitra shiver with unease. Cifer was f-r-e-a-k-y.

“….I see no reason to.”

“So, where do we start then? Ya got a clue where the hell they could be?”

The raven haired man turns his gaze away and hums, not saying anything as they walked to the end of the corridor. When he finally spoke again, Nnoitra nearly jumped in surprise.

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

Ulquiorra didn’t really wish to do this, but he had no choice, now that Aizen had asked him specifically to do this.

He could only hope Grimmjow would make this easy for once.

It wasn’t likely.

The thought made him smile slightly, freaking Nnoitra out even more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter thirteen  
> Finally here.  
> Plot thickens slowly but surely.  
> I sorta love writing Ichigo being all nurturing towards his blue kitty. it's a different story whenever Grimm will like it or not.
> 
> Also. I made a cover for this series. It can be found from here: https://lumilasi.tumblr.com/image/170046006121  
> I didn't have much extra free time to make it the most fabulous of things, but at least I tried :,)


	14. Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo learns a surprising truth about himself, and Grimmjow teaches him some new tricks.  
> They also make their affection for one another glaringly obvious.

Ichigo woke up, draped across Grimmjow’s bare chest.

After last evening’s spout of intimacy, he’d fallen right asleep on top of the man, who apparently hadn’t bothered to move him in any way and just let the ginger rest on top of him, proving that Ichigo was in fact _not_ heavy like the man complained.

The ginger hums with a smile, nuzzling against his skin lightly.

Grimmjow shifts in his sleep as he feels that, but doesn’t wake up, just holds the ginger firmer against him.

It was a nice feeling; nobody had ever held him in this manner, as Ichigo was fairly sure he'd never had a boy- or a girlfriend before.

After a long moment, Ichigo finally pushes himself up, brushing trough his hair drowsily while gazing out from the window.

He was completely bare under the covers, and the chill in the air forced him to tug them back around himself as a shield against the cold morning air. He was still sitting on Grimmjow, not really wanting to part from the man yet. He was too comfy and warm, especially at this hour.

Suddenly, a hand grasps his arm and yanks him back down, catching Ichigo by surprise.

”The fuck yer doin’ up this early. Ts’ cold.”

The blunet mutters sleepily as he locks his arms around the warm bundle on top of him.

Ichigo could not stop but snicker, arms sneaking around the man again.

”I thought a lightning type would also not be bothered by cold, like me.”

The blunet grumbles like a child, still half asleep, and shifts until Ichigo was pinned between him and the cold wall. Feeling the chill radiating from the said wall, the ginger had no choice but to press closer to Grimmjow, who’d even draped his leg over him.

It was really amusing and adorable the same time, if Ichigo was honest; the sleepy blunet was acting like a toddler not wanting to get up or let go of his favorite teddy bear. This was probably the most vulnerable he'd ever seen the man, and it warmed his heart even more to know Grimmjow trusted him this much, enough to let himself drop his guard and be silly while still half-asleep.

Ichigo was fairly sure Grimmjow would be embarrassed about this once his brain actually woke up though, but for now he just enjoyed the feeling of being held like this.

Ichigo traced his fingertips against the man’s skin on his back, drawing small soothing circles there. The gesture was clearly to Grimmjow’s liking as the man nuzzled against his hair lazily, letting out a sound akin to a purr.

Ichigo chuckles softly and rubs his back even more, adding a bit more pressure to his touch. The previous purring sound twists into a pleased groan as a shiver runs down his spine, and the next moment, Ichigo found himself pinned against the bed as hungry mouth devoured his lips.

It was pretty clear Grimmjow was no longer sleepy, and Ichigo couldn’t stop the moan that escaped his lips now; despite the air around them being chilly, the ginger could already feel intense heat build between them.

”You’re unsatisfiable, you know that?”

Ichigo chuckles a bit as Grimmjow shifts to nip and kiss his neck, hand mingling into the orange hair.

”Stop tryin’ ta _seduce_ me then.”

Grimmjow whispers into his ear with an amused smirk, nipping it and making Ichigo tremble too now, turning his head to reach the man’s lips.

”And yer callin’ me needy.” The blunet chuckles but responds to the kiss regardless, enjoying it too much to refuse.

His hands ran down Ichigo’s sides, stopping on his hips as the man shifted, adding some weight against the ginger’s abdomen.

”Hey, try to slow down a little tiger; I’m not too sure if I can handle this the first thing in the morning.”

Ichigo laughed a bit, the sound quickly dissolving into a moan as Grimmjow moved his hips, adding some extra friction between them.

It was much, _much_ harder to resist given Ichigo was naked, and he found himself wanting to give in under the warm weight and give the man what he wanted.

However, moments later Grimmjow rolled off from him and sat at the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes.

Ichigo quickly grabs the bedsheets and covers himself with them as he was hit with cold the second Grimmjow’s warm body disappeared from on top of him.

”You okay?” Ichigo asks hesitantly after a moment, upon noticing the deep frown on Grimmjow’s face.

The man sighs and brushes his fingers trough his hair slowly, before dropping them down and leaning his arms against his knees.

”Hey, talk to me.”

Ichigo shifts closer and leans against his side, placing a gentle hand on the man’s back. Grimmjow remains quiet for a moment, just gazing into thin air silently.

”Why did he even tell all that ta me?”

”....I’m guessing Urahara felt it would make you feel better.”

Grimmjow snorts, glancing at him.

”What the hell made him think that? I don’t exactly show much regret over any shit I do, not usually anyway.”

Ichigo hums, understanding where the man was coming from; the Grimmjow most knew was different from the man Ichigo had gotten accustomed with, not to mention, the blunet was not really used to random people caring about him in any way.

However, Urahara had said himself that he had a ’profile’ of sorts about Grimmjow, and that the blunet had gone against it back then, when he chose to be the one to deal with Wonderweiss. Plus, Ichigo could recall the man being someone who cared for anyone he deemed worth it, criminal or not.

”...It might also be, because he mentioned to me that the boy’s unique condition might be able to help with your...element-induced problems.”

The blue eyes turn to stare at him in slight shock, then he frowns even deeper.

”Why the _fuck_ woulda he bother ta help me.”

”Urahara just is like that. I guess he sees good in you just like I do.” Ichigo states with a shrug, offering him the warmest smile he could.

Grimmjow just gazes at him for a moment, examining the warm brown eyes and the soft smile on his lips.

”................Nah, he ain’t like you.”

He finally comments with a mischievous smirk, and before Ichigo could ask what he meant, the man shoves him back down to the bed and climbs on top of him, kissing him ravenously like he’d done before.

”Yer _much_ cuter.”

Grimmjow whispers into his ear with a teasing tone, and Ichigo couldn’t stop but laugh, smacking at his shoulder lightly.

Ichigo more than enjoyed this lighthearted playfulness, something they rarely got to have during this whole ordeal.

”Would you please make up your mind? Either get up already or take me.”

Ichigo chuckles, then upon realizing the last part of what he just said, his face flushes red and he hides it against Grimmjow’s shoulder with an embarrassed snicker. It was not typical of him to be that straightforward about it, but based on the way Grimmjow’s body shook, he was also laughing silently at that slip up.

”And I thought ya said you can’t handle it this early.”

Grimmjow points out as he pushes back enough to look down at Ichigo with an amused smirk. Ichigo bites his lip, smiling sheepishly.

Yeah, he did say that.

”.....Maybe I changed my mind.”

Grimmjow snorts at him, a smirk still dancing on his lips, before leaning down and kissing that deviously delicious mouth again.

 

 

 

 

Rukia was currently talking on the phone with Ukitake in order to report where he and Renji had disappeared.

Per Urahara’s request, she did not give him the exact details, just that they were pursuing a lead regarding to Ichigo’s disappearance and would report back soon. If Ukitake had a hunch that something was off, he didn’t say anything.

With a sigh, the woman closes the phone and turns to look at Renji, who was looking at her with lift eyebrow, waiting.

”So far he seems to believe us. Wish we knew who Aizen’s rat was. It’s hard when you don’t know whom to trust.”

”Agreed. Having someone trust people you shouldn’t is already bad.”

Rukia shakes her head with a slight amused smile, knowing what Renji was referring to. She’d felt the same way, up until the chat she’d had with Jeagerjaquez, and how she’d seen Ichigo interact with him.

”I just don’t understand why you are so fine with it.”

The man huffs out with a shrug, rubbing at the back of his neck.

”I never said I am _fine_ with it. I just _understand_ what is going on between them.”

”Care to enlighten me too then?”

Rukia hums as she puts the phone away, and sits to the table next to Renji.

”Whatever hostility there was between them, it seems to have been overtaken by a mutual interest towards one another.”

”Why would that even be a thing? Why would ICHIGO fall for a criminal?”

”The fact he did is probably a sign he knows things about Jeagerjaquez we don’t.”

Rukia tells him with a pointed look, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth.

”Even if that were true, how can we be sure he’s not just messing with Ichigo?”

”If he was, I doubt he’d admitted to me that even _he_ thinks their mutual feelings are probably a bad idea.”

Rukia points out.

This surprised Renji, as Rukia had not told him in exact detail yet just what the man had told him.

”So...you really think he cares for Ichigo?”

The raven haired woman turns her gaze towards the window for a moment, and she holds her chin thoughtfully.

”Ichigo is definitely in love, I can tell. It’s the same look his mum used to aim at Isshin or her children.”

Rukia begins softly, then turns to look at Renji.

”Whenever whatever Jeagerjaquez feels _is_ on that level as well, I cannot be for sure, but he cares enough to be protective over Ichigo.”

Renji just nods after a moment.

Supposedly that was a good thing for now, as it meant the blunet bastard would in all likeness not hurt Ichigo at the moment. He better not, or Renji would send his crazy ass to hell personally. He would try anyway.

 

 

Once they finally scrambled out of the room, it was close to midday.

Ichigo’s hair was a mess and he had bite marks on his neck, marks he tried to hide with a high collar shirt, feeling a little bashful about it, especially after seeing the frown from Renji, who clearly was still struggling to accept the situation.

Yoruichi just smirked at him as she handed Ichigo the shirt.

”So now that you two finally bothered to join us, Kisuke had another matter to talk with you, providing you’ve worked out all the pent up energy by now, Jeagerjaquez.”

The obvious innuendo was lost to no one, and Ichigo was honestly confused on why was this woman so casual about his closeness with the known - former - criminal, when his redhead friend was throwing daggers at Grimmjow.  The aforementioned man just rustles his already messy hair, giving Renji a pointed, disinterested yawn, before walking beside Ichigo and pointedly tugging the slightly flustered ginger against his side, arm around his hips.

He was clearly doing that just to make Renji seethe even more, given the amused glance he gave at the fuming redhead.

”Didn’t know Kurosaki’s sex-life was a public matter.”

Grimmjow comments casually, gaining an amused smirk from Yoruichi.

Somehow Ichigo began to realize that these two synced in some weird level, and it terrified him.

Not in a fear for your life way, but more along the lines of these two would likely embarrass him to death.

Yoruichi did not disappoint.

”Oh, he made it public _alright_ , both last night and this morning.”

The woman teases Ichigo, winking at him.

The ginger groans and hides his face, his face completely red now.

Grimmjow just smirks at that, clearly not sorry at all.

”You two will be the death of me, I swear.” Ichigo complains and turns to glare at Grimmjow peeved as the man starts chuckling at him.

”Not my fault yer so fuckin’ loud.”

Ichigo smacks his chest and attempts to leave his hold, but the man just tugs him back, tilting his head and whispering something into his ear.

Whatever it was, Renji couldn’t hear it, but it seemed to defuse Ichigo’s annoyance as quickly as it came, as moments later the ginger shakes his head with a slight laugh, his face still lightly flushed.

Yeah, he could see what Rukia had told him now; Ichigo was clearly acting like someone who was head over heels for somebody.

Just because it seemed to be the case, did not mean Renji would be okay with it anytime soon.

”Come on then boys; we have business to discuss, this time regarding to you, Ichigo.”

The ginger turns serious and nods, then glances at Renji and Rukia unsure.

”Should they hear about this too?”

”We will fill them in on this later; this is kind of personal so it’s better you hear it first.” Yoruichi tells him casually.

Ichigo glances at the two again; Renji clearly did not seem to like that they were excluded, but Rukia was being patient, just crossing her arms and nodding at Ichigo.

With a sigh, the ginger turns his head back and walks after Yoruichi, leaning against the man who held him.

 

 

”Morning, or should I say good day?”

Urahara greets them with slight amused smile, probably aware about their earlier activities. Ichigo coughs and tries to swallow down his blush, sitting down on the chair from before. Grimmjow refuses to sit once again, rather he remains standing beside Ichigo like a guard of sorts.

”I take this as you have calmed down from your outburst yesterday.”

Grimmjow says nothing, just leans against Ichigo’s chair with his arms crossed. It was mostly flattering to have that protectiveness from the blunet, but they were around people Ichigo could trust, so it felt a bit more awkward now.

”What else did you want to talk with us Urahara-san?” Ichigo asks, gaining everyone’s attention.

The man hums a bit, then looks up at Grimmjow.

”I’d first like to hear about everything that happened up until you arrived at Rukongai.”

Ichigo was surprised about the question and glances up at Grimmjow.

If he was taken aback as well, the man didn’t show it.

With an annoyed huff, he rubs his eyes and proceeds to explain the events from since he discovered Ichigo, all the way to the moment they were poisoned by Szayel. Ichigo noted he left some details out, like the fact the run down house they stayed in was in fact his childhood home, or his drunken behavior in there, let alone when he’d slept with Ichigo.

Those were all details that the hatter did not need to know.

”I see.”

Urahara comments after listening closely, turning his attention to Ichigo.

”It is as I suspected; your power is reactivating.”

”Huh?”

The man sighs and puts down his hat before crossing his hands over the table, directing his words at Ichigo now.

”I suppose you wouldn’t remember, as you were around two or three when this happened. You were also showing signs of delayed Metahuman level development like Wonderweiss, and your parents worried you’d end up dying once they finally activated.”

”Wait wait! So you’re saying...”

Ichigo’s eyes went wide, and he glances up at Grimmjow, who did not seem as surprised as one would have expected.

”Yes. You were born metahuman, but due to some sort of development issues with your power, we had to seal away your excess energy to spare your life. It seems your power is starting to leak back out however.”

”But... if that’s true...”

Ichigo went pale and looked at his hands. Based on what he knew, his life could be in danger.

He could end up overloading or something along those lines.

”Calm down Kurosaki-san. I have a fairly good reason to believe your life is not in danger as of now.”

”How so?”

”Interestingly enough, close to the same reason that saved Wonderweiss.”

Urahara drifts his gaze towards Grimmjow, who remained stoic even now.

Ichigo figured he had decided to try and stay chill this time, likely a little embarrassed about his earlier outburst. That, or him fucking Ichigo the first thing in the morning truly calmed him down.

”You two seem to naturally resonate, which is why sharing your elemental energy is easy. Thanks to this coincidence, his presence and influence on you back then and since has slowly eased and adapted your body to get accustomed to the new level of power.”

”But if that’s true...”

Ichigo turns to look at his hands again with a frown.

”Why did I struggle with my powers so much?”

”Back when your problems started, were you perhaps agitated or stressed out?”

Ichigo thinks back on it, but couldn’t quite recall anything. Grimmjow seemed to catch on to what Urahara was saying.

”He was, actin’ like he got a stick up his ass.”

Ichigo almost wonders if that was also meant as innuendo, but upon seeing his frowning expression, it was clear that wasn’t the case.

”When yer starting out, yer emotions effect your power a lot; as a kid its hard to control, hence normally their amount of power is minimal."

he pauses, a bitter smirk appearing on his face.

"I’m bit of a freak of nature regarding to that.”

 ”So...I was struggling because of my emotional state?”

”That is very likely.” Urahara informs him, and Ichigo hums, holding his chin.

It... actually made sense, given what he’d witnessed from Grimmjow.

His elemental energy _definitely_ reacted to the man’s mental state.

”So he ain’t in danger from his power?”

Grimmjow’s voice was neutral, but Ichigo knew he was concerned.

”In all likeness, his body is already adapted to it; whatever Szayelapporo Grantz was doing with him, it just sped up the process. What is more dangerous here, is that there is something else about you two that Aizen is interested in, something we do not know yet.”

Urahara was very serious, and Ichigo was slightly surprised the man actually didn’t have all the answers like he usually would.

”So the fuck we gonna do now?”

”For now, I recommend that you two stay hiding in here. Perhaps you could also teach Kurosaki-san a little about how his power works now that he has become a metahuman like you.”

Grimmjow frowns, clearly not too trusting about whatever place they were in. However, he was more than eager to teach Kurosaki to use his powers, for several reasons; not only did he honestly like the idea of having a proper brawl with him again - non-lethal one this time - but it would be fun to see the cute little fucker mess up couple of times at first and get all flustered about it.

Let alone some ...more _subtle_ tricks he could teach that could be useful in the bedroom.

Fire was after all a similar element to his.

The slight grin on his face unnerved Ichigo, and the ginger looks down, sensing that Grimmjow was plotting something.

Something that would likely embarrass him again.

”I can understand your suspicion, but this house is secure; he keeps it partially out of space-time, so it cannot be tracked.” Yoruichi reassures the man.

Ichigo looks up at her, and yeah, now when he thought about it, the view in their windows looked slightly strange, almost if everything outside moved in slow motion. He had not paid too much attention to it earlier, having had better things to focus on, but now Ichigo could see it clearly.

Grimmjow was examining the window as well.

Granted, he was still suspicious, but given the man had apparently used his weird ability to transport that cabin where it was without anyone noticing...

”Alright. But I cannot do too much yet given we probably cannot go out.”

Urahara just nods.

”All he needs to learn is basics. I am fairly certain you know he doesn’t need to learn to fight.”

Grimmjow glances down at Ichigo, a slightly darker grin dancing on his lips.

Ichigo shuddered a little upon noticing the gaze, as it was border-lining to the smirk the man gave to those he was about to beat up.

”Yeah I do know. He needs ta learn to pick his fuckin’ fights better though.”

Grimmjow finally comments, turning his amused gaze away.

 

 

 

Ichigo sat on the table, poking at his meal.

Learning all of this new stuff about himself, it was a lot to take in. He was kind of confused on why his parents had never told him the truth about his level. He'd been supposed to ask urahara about it, but the conversation had gone ahead so fast that he had not had time to process it enough to ask that question.

Another thing that bothered in his mind however, was the _look_ Grimmjow had given him when they had brought up Ichigo’s fighting ability.

He’d never thought of this during this trip, but now it was at the forefront of his brain.

Was Grimmjow mellower towards him simply because of his amnesiac state?

Did he still actually _want_ to fight him?

The thought ... unnerved Ichigo, he couldn’t imagine ever being violent towards the man again. With a sigh, he picks up his plate and brings them to the sink, not hungry anymore.

Renji and Rukia had gone out, apparently Ukitake wanted them to return and give a report in person. Urahara and Yoruichi were still in the house likely, but his immediate surroundings were empty. Ichigo was so lost in thought he didn’t sense the man creeping up on him, not until strong hands wrapped around his waist, and Grimmjow nuzzles against his neck, planting a kiss there.

The ginger could not stop himself from leaning back against the man, but his mind was troubled still.

”...The fuck’s with you now?” The blunet asks quietly, nuzzling his hair now.

”I just...”

Ichigo wasn’t sure how to ask about this.

Grimmjow was being gentle like he mostly was with Ichigo right now, but it did not really erase that more sinister glance given at him earlier. If Ichigo had learned anything about the man, his eyes often showcased how he felt, regardless of if he wanted to admit or show it or not.

The expressive nature of those blue orbs was a charming quality, especially when they were lit up with positive emotion, but they also came off as _terrifying_ when something darker lurked in them.

"I guess...I'm just wondering why mum and dad never told me about this."

"Knowing how disgustingly good yer fam is, they probably wanted ta make sure ya wouldn't be scared of yourself. They kept their traps shut to protect you."

It was a harsh way of saying it, but Ichigo did not take offense on it, not when he knew it was a compliment in Grimmjow's language. He was still uneasy however, and Grimmjow clearly sensed it, as after a moment he asked the ginger again what was bothering him.

”Can you..answer honestly to my question?”

”Mmh?”

The man hums, pressing another open mouthed kiss against his neck, hand slipping under his shirt to slightly caress the skin underneath. It was very tempting, but Ichigo had to get this out of the way.

”When Urahara spoke about my fighting ability... do you... still _want_ to do it?”

Grimmjow pauses and lifts his head, but says nothing.

Ichigo swallows down nervously, too uneasy to turn and look at him.

”Do you still want to fight me?”

His voice was barely above a whisper, and Ichigo was tense now, waiting for an answer.

”Probably.”

The man comments, his voice awfully casual. Ichigo’s blood freezes in his veins, but Grimmjow wasn’t done talking.

”M’ _always_ gonna enjoy a good fight, especially if I get to sex-up that sexy piece of ass of yours afterwards.”

The man whispers into his ear with a mischievous grin on his face, and Ichigo lets out a slight gasping noise, his face flushing like crazy now, and he turns to smack  Grimmjow in the shoulder for that comment. He is stopped by a firm hand grasping his wrist however, and the next second he was tugged into a gentle kiss, the kind that made his brain melt a little.

When Grimmjow backs away, he releases Ichigo’s wrist and plants his hand on the younger man’s waist.

His expression was serious now.

”I’m not gonna lie; I _do_ wanna kick your ass for the shit you put me trough for the past six months and then some. But wanting to  fight ya and wanting to kill ya are two different things. I can guarantee I got no interest in offing your acceptable piece of ass.”

Ichigo almost wanted to roll his eyes at how the man was unable to prevent himself from turning his comment slightly flirtatious at the end.

Right.

Ichigo turns his gaze downwards at his hands resting against Grimmjow’s chest now.

He felt a little sheepish for getting so freaked out over a glance.

Grimmjow slips his hand under Ichigo’s chin to make the warm brown eyes look at him, and he gives the ginger a playful smirk.

”The noises alone ya make are reason enough ta not kill ya.”

Ichigo finally does smack his shoulder with a peeved look, but it soon dissolves into laughter.

He then leans closer for a soft kiss, a gesture Grimmjow was more than happy to provide. He was still partially convinced this was a bad idea, but he was too tired to resist this little shit; Kurosaki had him in a vice, and Grimmjow knew he was not gonna be able to escape it anymore.

 

 

Yoruichi watched the two lovebirds fool around and flirt with an amused smirk.

Ever since Kisuke had told her what he’d witnessed in the cabin, she’d been pretty damn certain these two fools were hopelessly in love with one another, even if the blunet especially didn’t want to admit it.

The fact Jeagerjaquez was known to be a dangerous criminal did not actually bother her that much, because she had always had a strong gut instinct about people.

Observing the way he’d acted towards Kurosaki, it was obvious the man was protective and cared for his ginger catch.

”It is certainly surprising, but certainly not a bad thing.”

Urahara mutters, appearing beside her to watch the scene.

”It makes one wonder though; if you’d actually managed to get the boy out of his father’s hands before that event happened, these two could’ve grown up as friends.”

Yoruichi points out, and the blond man hums a slight melancholic look in his eyes.

”I wish.... I would have approached the mother instead now. I was not aware of what was going in the house exactly. I just wished to help the boy upon learning of his unique situation.”

”You would not have known that the bastard was a wife-beating manipulator; he portrayed himself well. I bought his lie about the mum agreeing to it as well.”

Yoruichi reassures him, though understood why her friend felt guilty; Urahara’s intention had simply been to provide the young kid with aid to learn to stabilize his power, but based on what he’d learned from the staff afterwards once the boy vanished, the kid’s father had lied to him about several facts regarding to their arrangement. When urahara had found out that Grimmjow, the boy he'd sought out to help in the past, had been the one to protect Ichigo as of late, he'd wanted to find them and correct his mistake from the past. That was why he'd brought up Wonderweiss, although the man had chosen not to reveal his identity as the scientist who'd attempted to take the boy under his wing to Grimmjow. Not when his actions had caused such a tragedy to occur.

Likely he'd just get the blunet's ire on him, something they didn't need right now.

His father had apparently thought Urahara was taking the boy away _completely,_ never to return to be a bother to him, when that had not been the case.

The fact the man had even portrayed it as such to his wife...

”I cannot stop but feel awful, Yoruichi; if I’d just talked with the mother directly instead, I could’ve prevented him from going trough all that pain that set him to this path.”

The dark skinned woman hums, glancing at the two who were currently kissing each other enthusiastically.

”I suppose, but in my eyes, this isn’t ending too badly.”

Urahara nods after a moment, figuring she had a point.

 

 

 

The two had opted to use one of the larger empty rooms in Urahara’s house for Grimmjow to teach Ichigo about his newfound power.

The ginger was slightly nervous, but also a little excited; if he could learn to control all this properly, he’d no longer have to hide behind Grimmjow or anyone else for protection.

Ichigo had hated the fact he had had to do it mostly in the beginning, and wanted it to stop once and for all.

”Don’t get too bummed out if ya fail the first time. This shit ain’t exactly easy ta learn. Especially not at this age.”

Grimmjow tells him casually, looking way too distracting on his tight black tank top.

When Ichigo had commented on it however, the blunet had countered that if he wanted to learn how to deal with this, he had to be able to resist temptations.

Ichigo wasn’t sure if that was true, but he let it slide for now.

Honestly, why was he complaining about being able to look at something as gorgeous as Grimmjow? It was a stupid thought.

”So, uh... what am I supposed to do?”

Ichigo asks, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

The blunet slumps to the ground and gestures him to sit down as well. Ichigo does so, leaving some space between them.

”Alright, so the stuff m’gonna teach ya is what Shawlong taught me back when I was learning how ta deal with this shit.”

His voice trembled a bit at the mention of that name, but Grimmjow held himself together well.

”Most of this shit is mental at this point, so ya don’t hafta move around much.”

Grimmjow tells him calmly, tapping his head with a finger.

Ichigo just nods, looking like an eager toddler on their first day at school, before life slapped them in the face and revealed that school and the people in it could be full of shit.

”This is probably gonna be easier fer ya than me, given you don’t have temper issues.”

Grimmjow gives him a lopsided grin, and Ichigo couldn’t stop but smile.

”First, you gotta bring up a flame.”

Ichigo lifts his hand and focuses, creating a tiny, candle sized flicker on it.

”Make it a bit larger.”

He does so, until the flickering orb filled his palm.

”The first thing you gotta learn is to recognize when an emotion is affecting yer power. It changes the... I suppose ya could say ’flavor’ of the flame. How strong it is, how it burns, and so on.”

Ichigo nods, then looks up at him.

”How do I do that?”

Grimmjow snorts, clearly amused by the question; he was feeling surprisingly patient right now.

”Just focus on a feeling yer familiar with for a bit, and it should change how that thing flickers.”

Ichigo nods and turns his attention to the tiny fire sitting on his hand.

”...Will this be dangerous?”

”If ya end up busting into flames, I’ll just knock you out.”

Grimmjow shrugs, clearly not bothered.

It was hard to be, when Kurosaki’s flames had not really hurt him properly, not even once.

Ichigo wants to roll his eyes, but the same time figured the man knew what he was doing. He turns his attention back to the flame.

”Might wanna pick a positive emotion at first.”

Grimmjow advices him quietly, also focused on the flame.

Ichigo keeps his gaze in the warm glow, and searches trough his mind for something. The most obvious positive feeling he could think of was the fondness and adoration he held towards the very blunet who was currently teaching him. Focusing on that warm sensation, Ichigo’s lips twisted into a slight smile.

For his surprise, the flame indeed changed; it started to flicker slower than normal, and turned slightly brighter.

The heat it was radiating off of was also different from usual; it felt more like an all compassing gentle warmth, sort of like how he felt when he was being held by Grimmjow, or when he hugged his sisters. Or when he'd seen his late mother smile. Ichigo was fairly sure he knew the name of this emotion, and wasn't surprised it felt pleasant.

”Good. This is just a warm up though, as a flame like this ain’t gonna be the problem. It’s the negative, irrational stuff that can make your shit dangerous.”

Ichigo nods and focuses again.

This time, he searched for a more negative feeling.

The first thing that came to mind was his anger over that large man trying to hurt Grimmjow. Ichigo almost jumped when the flame suddenly burst into a bright white flare, twice as big as before.

”Ya gotta learn to channel that; if ya just let that feeling dominate ya, it can really be bad fer yer allies. Instead of focusing on that emotion, try ta focus on what ya wanna do with it.”

Grimmjow’s calm voice helped to soothe him down, and Ichigo focuses again.

What did he want to do when he got angry?

Definitely not kill anyone, even if it did happen.

Maybe it hadn’t if he... The flame starts to flicker, and Grimmjow reminds him to focus with a slightly more stern tone.

Ichigo sucks in a deep breath and moves away from that train of thought.

In general, when he got upset, why did it happen?

Because somebody he cared for was being hurt.

What did he want to do then?

_Protect them._

Ichigo focuses on that feeling of protectiveness, and the uncontrollable flicker on his hand steadies into a stable, white flame that danced over his palm, now perfectly controlled.

Grimmjow almost whistled, almost; Kurosaki was learning faster than he expected.

Which was honestly a good thing.

”Good. Ya get what I am trying to say here?”

”I think so; in order to not harm people, I just need to keep my goal in mind.”

This thought makes him curious, and he looks up at Grimmjow.

”What did you use as a guide when controlling your own power?”

Grimmjow looks away slightly.

He... didn’t want to admit that in the past, his reasoning was likely very similar to Kurosaki’s, or even more pathetic; he had kept it in check as a kid - mostly - because he didn’t want to hurt anyone.

After what had happened to his... _Ulquiorra's_ cat that he just happened to like too... and especially after Shawlongs’ death, he’d done a complete turnaround in that regard.

”Not gonna lie; all I wanted ta do was kill people and make ’em suffer as I did so.”

Ichigo faltered a bit as he heard that, although he wasn’t surprised.

Grimmjow reaches for him, brushing a lock of hair away from his face.

”That was when I was going more crazy than usual. It’s... not like that anymore.”

”Good to know.”

Ichigo states with a slight relieved smile.

He then turns his gaze back at the orb in his hand.

“I can imagine how difficult this must have been with you.”

He comments with almost sad tone, gaining a noncommittal shrug from Grimmjow.

“It’s already trickier when yer element is unstable on itself. If yer brain is a beehive, it’s twice as difficult.”

Ichigo hums with a slight nod, noticing his flame was growing smaller and gentler again.

For a moment neither of them spoke, just sort of sitting there, in the warmth of Ichigo’s flare.

“What made you change it?”

Ichigo asks now, looking up Grimmjow, the flicker of the flaming orb reflected in his eyes.

It made them look even warmer than what they already were, which on itself, was a feat.

The blunet remains quiet, again not wanting to admit it. It was ironic in a way; he’d sort of circled back to where he’d started, somewhat.

There was a time he’d used his power to protect those few he cared for, like when he’d rescued Ulquiorra from the kidnappers.

Yeah, he _had_ cared for the weird ass kid to some degree, sue his ass, Grimmjow didn’t give a shit.

He’d near forgotten how it felt like, controlling your ability because you wanted to PRESERVE something, rather than to destroy it.

Grimmjow just looks up at Ichigo, and the ginger slowly begins to smile, likely able to see the answer from his eyes.

He’d always had a damn expressive eyes, even his momma had told him so.

 

 

 

 

 

“So ya want to wait till they’re gone? Why da fuck for?”

Nnoitra demands from the raven haired male, who simply turns to look at him slowly.

“The owner of the house, his ability is… too peculiar for us to deal with. It will be easier for us to get there when they are out of the way.” Ulquiorra tells him calmly.

Nnoitra was fairly sure this bastard was just buying his one-sided sweetheart time to escape, but there was no way in hell he was gonna bother questioning the fucker; Ulquiorra could take down his ass in seconds, so it was better to wait and see if the plan failed, and then inform Aizen-sama about the freak’s betrayal.

“Fine, but they better get moving and fast.”

The long haired man grumbles.

If he was honest… Nnoitra wasn’t that eager on doing this either.

For all his insanity, he respected the damn blue haired bastard. Jeagerjaquez was a strong fighter, and had kept his trap shut about what he and Tesla had done to Nelliel. It had not been that surprising given the guy had hated Aizen's guts at this point already and generally didn't get involved in other people's business usually, but still.

Nnoitra owed the man one, frustratingly.

That did not mean he was about to go against Aizen’s orders however, nobody was that stupid.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo, I'm on a roll with writing it seems.  
> I decided to not bring up any action in this chapter yet, as I just wished to write some fluff-ish moments with the two. They've been going around, running away and fighting so much that the boys deserve a break.  
> Poor Renji tho  
> being a protective friend disagreeing with your mate's choice of a boyfriend is hard.  
> Something Grimmjow is going to exploit in the future too  
> Because he's still a dick, even if he's sweeter to our little strawberry


	15. Tension and action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo is having some pleasant time with his blue haired crush  
> Until shit hits the fan

 For the next two says, Ichigo spent most of his time in the large empty room with Grimmjow, as the man taught him how to get a better grip on his newfound abilities.

He learned surprisingly fast, although Ichigo was hesitant at trying to morph his body into flames, still concerned that he’d actually end up killing himself or something. Another problematic factor was that they had the tendency to get side tracked easily, if Grimmjow got too close to him.

One second he was holding a ball of flame in his hand to test out and learn different reactions regarding to his emotional state, the next he was pinned against the wall, too busy tasting the man to focus on anything else.

At this point it was obvious to Ichigo, that he was in love.

He already knew Grimmjow was, in some way, but the ginger had finally fully accepted the fact that he returned the emotion about as intently.

It made him happy, but also a little awkward, knowing that his friends - especially Renji - did not really agree with it.

Ichigo could understand why, but the same time wished the redhead would give Grimmjow a chance, because he really wasn’t that bad once you got to know him better.

Yes, the man was still crude and sarcastic, he could act like a dick if he wanted, and he had violent tendencies, those would not go away just like that. But he was also protective, charming, and had this almost childlike mischievousness in him that was hard not to smile at.

Grimmjow was also honest, brutally perhaps, but still honest, a trait Ichigo appreciated.

The ginger could also tell there was loyalty to him; the fact he still held his late mentor in high regard and wanted revenge on his death indicated that. Not to mention how he’d stuck by Ichigo’s side despite all the bad shit he had to re-live and go trough.

Currently, they were sprawled around in the bed, taking a break from Ichigo’s training, not because either of them was particularly exhausted, but because Grimmjow had suddenly had that expression on him again, the weary, somber look that prompted Ichigo to gently guide him to their shared room and just make him rest his head against his chest.

He combed his fingers trough the blue locks over and over soothingly, until the man had fallen asleep.

Ichigo didn’t stop, still caressing his hair as he gazed out from the window.

He felt bad, as it was sort of his fault Grimmjow’s mood dropped, even if the man told him to ’cut the shit out’ as he put it when the ginger attempted to apologize.

Ichigo had ended up talking about his mum somehow, which naturally made Grimmjow think of his.

Even now, the ginger cursed himself for bringing that topic up.

It was one thing, what happened to his mother; Ichigo had had time to process it. It was a whole other ballgame to be the cause of your mother’s death, even if accidentally. Ichigo doubted that Grimmjow had ever made peace with the matter.

With a sigh, Ichigo tilts his head to brush his nose against the blue hair, planting a soft kiss at the top of his head.

Grimmjow didn’t react to the gesture, but the orange haired male could’ve sworn the man’s grip around him tightened slightly.

It was kind of bizarre in a way; over a year ago, Ichigo couldn’t have imagined to end up like this. Hell, back then he was more likely to be pinned under the lightning elemental just so he could choke him or beat the shit out of him. The amount of anger and violence from back then felt more than just a distant memory; it felt like it was a whole other lifetime away.

Ichigo tightens his hug around the man’s shoulders too now, feeling slight unease creep into him as he thought back on those times. Ichigo never wanted to go back to that, the instability and constant fear over what to say, as one wrong word could trigger a bad reaction.

His tenseness did not go unnoticed for long, as Grimmjow shifts his head suddenly to nuzzle against the ginger’s neck, brushing his lips against the sensitive skin.

”What’s upsetting ya now?”

The blunet mutters against his skin, planting another kiss there while his hands massaged Ichigo’s sides.

It felt so good that the ginger’s eyes slid closed for a moment, and he just breathed out softly with parted lips.

”I just... hope that I never have to be scared of what I say to you.”

He murmurs softly, feeling the warm touch pause for a second, and Grimmjow pushes himself up enough to look down at Ichigo with a frown.

”Didn’t I tell ya already that my temper was worse than it actually is back then? I ain’t gonna shit on you now even if you might say somethin’ annoying.”

”I know.” Ichigo sighs, gently petting his cheek.

”I know it’s silly, but...” The ginger bites his lip, turning his gaze up to the expressive blue eyes, which were currently examining him with slight concern and perhaps even a bit of guilt from his past actions, though it was so slight only a trained eye would notice it.

”Why the fuck are you worryin’ over somethin’ that pointless? It’s pretty damn clear I’m not gonna flip my shit at you that easily anymore.” Grimmjow tells him with a mild irritated tone, poking Ichigo’s forehead.

The ginger flinches a bit and rubs the spot with a pouty look, but it doesn’t last too long as Grimmjow leans closer and captures his mouth with a lazy, drawn out kiss.

”Focus on the crap we’re dealing with now, don’t fret over the shit in the past.”

”I feel you should take your own advice sometime.” Ichigo points out with a slightly sad smile, and the man says nothing to that, just examines him with a stoic look.

For a moment neither of them spoke, and Ichigo just moved his hand up to mingle his fingers into the blue hair gently, combing trough it with slow strokes.

Grimmjow keeps gazing down at him blank-faced, although on the inside, his brain was a mess as usual.

Now that the damn ginger _had_ to bring that up, his mind was filled with the images of their first interactions.

He absolutely _hated_ remembering it, the way he’d terrorized Kurosaki and just beaten him for no proper goddamn reason, especially when the man couldn’t really defend himself at all.

If he could, he’d probably travel back in time to smack the shit out of his past self.

Except, it wouldn’t really make him feel any better.

Grimmjow was aware that the way he acted back then had been partially because of his condition, but it was no excuse. He wanted to believe he’d never do shit like that again, but... Grimmjow had a bad feeling he couldn’t promise that.

With or without overload, he was an unstable individual, the blunet was not gonna bullshit himself or anybody about that fact.

His hand sneaks up, fingers brushing against Kurosaki’s jaw, while his thumb presses against the soft lips lightly, gaining a hint of a warm smile from the ginger.

It physically _hurt_ , seeing that sappy expression aimed at him, but Grimmjow couldn’t stop himself from smiling back lightly.

Ichigo’s smile widens, and he uses the hand mingled in Grimmjow’s hair to pull him closer, kissing the man softly, before just resting their foreheads together. It was so damn sappy and sickly sweet that Grimmjow felt almost embarrassed for acting this soft, but he couldn’t help it right now; Kurosaki had an alarmingly weakening effect on his shell he usually wore.

The worst part was really the fact he didn’t mind the slight vulnerability around the ginger, as long as they were alone.

”I suppose you are right; I should not really ponder any of that anymore. We got more important things to worry about.” Ichigo admits quietly, now his both hands mingling into the blue locks.

Ichigo was fairly certain he was developing an addiction towards touching the wild blue strands that always felt soft under his fingertips no matter how messed up they were.

Grimmjow just snorts and gives him a ’no shit’ look, before he is brought back down for a more intense kiss.

It didn’t take long for the fingers grasping Grimmjow’s hair to start tugging on it, and the blunet finds himself grabbing Kurosaki’s waist firmly as he presses his tongue against the ginger’s parted lips, slipping it into his mouth and making him moan.

Soon enough, the atmosphere in the room had heated up enough, so that Grimmjow had to ditch his shirt, and he made sure to get rid of Kurosaki’s excessive clothing as well. The man shifted right back and near devoured Ichigo’s mouth, pinning the younger male against the bed in the process. Ichigo lets out a louder, approving moan and mingles his fingers even tighter into the blue hair, answering the kiss with equal ferocity.

When they part briefly, both were panting harshly, and Ichigo’s face was nearly as bright as his hair. The brown eyes had grown dark and hooded, and he licked his lips, staring up at his companion with want in his eyes.

”Ya sure you want me ta mess with you right now? They’ll hear ya unless you can pipe down better this time.”

Grimmjow teases the ginger, who just snorts and pushes his upper body off the bed, brushing his lips against the man’s almost teasingly as he spoke.

”At this point it’s too late for me to care; if they don’t wanna hear it, that’s their problem.” Ichigo bites his lip lightly, and Grimmjow is taken aback by the sudden boldness, but soon enough a devilish grin appears on his face, as he seriously liked Kurosaki’s sudden attitude shift in this situation.

”Besides.... we are alone in the house right now, remember?”

Right.

The hatter and his chick companion had left somewhere, saying they’d be back by the morning.

Grimmjow had almost forgotten about that.

A wide, devious grin spreads on his face as this particular fact sinks in, and Ichigo begins to regret mentioning that.

Well, not really, but he couldn’t stop himself from shivering lightly as he saw the hungry look aimed at him.

Grimmjow lifts his arm to grab the orange locks tightly, tilting Ichigo’s head back to nip the skin on his neck, grazing against it with his sharp canines.

The ginger shudders as he feels it, but just tilts his head further back, giving him more room. Grimmjow could feel a jolt of heat travel down his spine at the submissive gesture, and he bites onto Kurosaki’s neck a little harsher, making him flinch but not attempt to push the man away.

”That so?”

He whispers into the gingers ear with a low tone, making Kurosaki shudder again, then gasp as Grimmjow moves his hips, adding heated friction between them.

”So you want me ta fuck you so hard they can hear it the next town over, hmm?”

Grimmjow nips his way down Ichigo’s jaw, his tone playful and borderline seducing now. The ginger just part his lips, glancing at him as a breathy moan escaped his mouth.

”Couldn’t hear ya. Say that again.”

Grimmjow tells him with a devilish grin, pressing his tongue against Ichigo’s pulse point on his neck, tracing a path up to his ear. His hands were resting on Kurosaki’s waist, and he moves again, grinding against the ginger tauntingly. Ichigo’s breath hitches, and he mirrors Grimmjow’s movement, stirring even more heat between them. He opens his mouth to speak, but that’s when the blunet moves to grind harder against him, and instead of words, a loud, involuntary gasp leaves his mouth.

”I _still_ can’t hear ya.”

The blunet whispers to his ear again, and Ichigo lets out a frustrated noise, before actually managing to shove Grimmjow off him, only to straddle the man and rub against him harder, eyes burning into the blunet.

The man smirks at him, pushing himself up to grabs a fistful of orange hair and kiss the fucker greedily, before flipping them back around to pin him against the bed.

”So I’ll take that as a yes.” Grimmjow tells him with a husky voice, just gaining a snort and an eye roll from Ichigo, who grabs his shoulders to bring him down for another heated exhange.

 

 

 

It didn’t seem to matter how many times they did this, Ichigo felt he’d never get used to the overwhelming sensations of pleasure.

He knew for a fact that Grimmjow was using his dirty tricks to overstimulate his nerves, but the ginger honestly didn’t care.

He _liked_ it.

Ichigo threw his head back, eyes closed in a deep frown, lips parted to let out another pleased moan as he moved his hips. He was currently on top, sitting upright with his hands pressed against Grimmjow’s lower belly. The blunet was watching him keenly, taking note on every sign of pleasure from the ginger’s face.

As he hit a sweet spot within the panting male, Ichigo gasps in surprise, then bites his lip as he starts grinding his hips more, making sure Grimmjow kept stroking that point inside him.

A slight whine escapes Ichigo’s mouth, and he moves even faster, his ragged breaths growing louder by each second.

Grimmjow quite enjoyed watching this, but he had always been the one to dominate, so his patience ran out eventually.

Swiftly, the man shoves Ichigo off him, but before the ginger could protest, he moves to thrust right back in, making the ginger yelp in surprise, until the sound dissolves into a pleased moan. The blunet slows down his movement for a moment, pulling Ichigo’s head off the mattress and capturing his mouth briefly for a slow, filthy kiss, before dropping him back down and thrusting into him harder, making the ginger yelp and claw the bedsheets above his head.

It felt so good, Grimmjow felt so _good_ in him.

Ichigo felt the man grasp his leg and hoist it over his shoulder, thrusting even deeper into him, making the ginger gasp and moan loudly, eyes rolling back in his head.

”Atta boy, lemme hear ya.”

Grimmjow manages to whisper into his ear between ragged breaths, and Ichigo more than delivers, his pleasure filled voice caressing Grimmjow’s ear almost like an extra touch.

The sounds Kurosaki was making, Grimmjow found it hard to not get off just from listening to those breathy moans and gasps of air.

As he hit the sweet spot again, Ichigo whimpers out his name, his entire form shivering lightly now, indicating the ginger was close. The blunet leans back down to silence those sounds briefly, before jerking his hips forward harsher, fastening his pace, up until he felt Kurosaki begin to unravel beneath him, going rigid and grasping the bedsheets above his head so tightly that he actually tore them a little.

The blunet watched as Ichigo weathered the intense, final wave of pleasure that hit him, lips parted in a breathless, silent moan.

Grimmjow had thought this before, but he definitely thought it now; the ginger was gorgeous, especially when he hit his end like this.

As Ichigo opened his eyes to glance up at Grimmjow with his hazy, pleasure filled gaze, the blunet felt the pressure in his abdomen snap, and he leans down again to sink his teeth in Kurosaki’s neck to silence the groan that wanted to escape from him. Ichigo wraps his arms and legs around Grimmjow, holding the man tightly against him, ignoring the slight pain radiating from his neck at the spot sharp teeth pierced trough his skin.

Eventually his orgasm subsides, and Grimmjow just slumps against Kurosaki, breathing harshly against his neck.

Ichigo drops his legs from around Grimmjow as the man shifts to pull out from him, but keeps his arms firmly secured around the broad shoulders.

The blunet doesn’t protest as he just slumps to rest on top of him, clearly more than satisfied.

For a moment they just linger there, enjoying the afterglow quietly.

”....Did you make me bleed again?”

Ichigo mutters out after a moment, gaining a slight chuckle from the blunet, who flicks his tongue against Kurosaki’s neck, tasting the red liquid oozing from the bite wound.

”I swear; I will die of blood-loss one day if you don’t stop doing that.”

Ichigo chuckles jokingly, tilting his head to the side and giving Grimmjow more room as the man kisses his neck gently, caressing the wounded spot with his lips.

The ginger closes his eyes and just enjoys the soft touches against his skin with a sigh. Eventually, Grimmjow pushes himself back a little to look down at the ginger, licking away the bits of blood he still had on his lips.

”You enjoy that too much.” Ichigo tells him accusingly, although it was half-hearted complaint.

The blunet hums with an amused smirk, shifting and grabbing his arm to tug Kurosaki sitting into his lap.

Ichigo chuckles and rests his arms over the blunet’s shoulders, tilting their foreheads together. Grimmjow’s hands rest on his hips, but they soon shift to wrap around his waist, fingers tracing Ichigo’s back.

The ginger hums, a small smile dancing on his lips as he enjoys the touch; during moments like these it was hard to imagine just how brutal Grimmjow could be. He could almost forget how easily the man could just give him a shock trough his fingers, a shock strong enough to stop his heart or even literally fry him if he caught Ichigo off guard.

He wouldn’t, though.

After a moment, Ichigo began to grow slightly uncomfortable, as he naturally needed a shower after that rigorous activity.

The blunet seemed to notice his discomfort as he snickers and nips his lower lip playfully, before kissing the ginger properly and telling him to go and take a shower.

”You won’t join me?” The ginger asks playfully as he gets up from the bed - naked - glancing over his shoulder at Grimmjow, who just rolls his eyes.

”If I do that, yer _never_ gonna actually get clean.”

Ichigo had to admit the man had a point.

 

 

Eventually he comes back wrapped in a bathrobe, clearly much more comfortable now. He could tell from the look Grimmjow was giving him that the man would likely grab him for another round if he didn’t sternly tell the blunet to go and shower - which Ichigo did.

Grimmjow rolls his eyes at Ichigo, before getting up and tugging him closer for one last, filthy kiss before heading out to the bathroom himself, leaving Ichigo to slump to the bed with a slight snicker, his face flushed.

Given they were currently alone in the house, Ichigo allowed himself to feel bashful and act like a damn schoolgirl with a crush with no risk of embarrassing himself.

Grimmjow would tease him for it probably, but it wasn’t as bad as if Yoruichi or Urahara-san, let alone his friends, saw it.

He turns to his side, just gazing out of the window.

It was close to nighttime outside, so he couldn’t really make out that much trough the window. Ichigo sighs, his hand creeping up to touch the bite mark on his neck. It wasn’t as gnarly as when Grimmjow had done it the first time, but still stung a bit. The ginger didn’t mind it too much, though he did hope it would not have to end up in his blood dripping down and dirtying the bedsheets each time.

He sighs and closes his eyes, just lying there with a small smile on his lips.

Right at that moment, all of his stress and anxiety from the past days was pushed back, replaced by this feeling of warmth gently burning within him. Ichigo was fairly certain he’d never felt like this before, not to this extend.

Suddenly, a beeping sound catches Ichigo’s attention, and he turns to look at the pile of clothing at the corner of the room.

Ichigo gets up and walks to then, digging trough the pile until he finds the object making noise. It was Tatsuki’s cell.

Ichigo had completely forgotten about the phone, so he frowns as he picks it up, looking trough it.

There was a new message, though according to the time it had been sent at least half a day ago; Ichigo suspected the reason it hadn’t arrived until now was because of this place and whatever effect Urahara’s power had on it. Ichigo opens the message, noting it was from Inoue.

 

_”Are you okay? You haven’t called or texted since. I know perhaps this isn’t the wisest thing to do, but I’m worried.”_

 

Seconds later, at least ten more messages appear, indicating Inoue had tried to contact him for a while now. He figured Rukia and Renji had not had time to inform her about his whereabouts yet, or they had decided not to tell her just yet.

Ichigo felt bad not seeing the messages earlier, but it was not on him; it was this place. He couldn’t stop but wonder if he could even send messages from within the cabin. Going outside was a risk however as he would turn detectable the second he did so. He wasn’t too eager on going also because it was late outside, and the ginger was too comfy on his bathrobe, not wanting to put on proper clothing.

Ichigo sighs and sits down to the bed.

Given the messages did come trough eventually, he should be able to send a response without having to go outside. It didn’t matter too much if it would take some time for her to receive it, as long as she did.

 

_”Sorry, been hectic. We’re in a safe place right now with Urahara. Don’t worry.”_

 

He types the response quickly and sends it, hoping she will receive it sooner than he did her messages.

The ginger sighs and puts the phone away to the nightstand, shifting to sit against the wall, curling up to hug his knees now. He felt... a little uneasy again, the texts having reminded him of current predicament he was in.

Ichigo felt tempted to go after Grimmjow and join him in the shower, just to ward off the dread creeping up on him now.

Sitting alone in there felt lonely.

 

Suddenly, a noise from somewhere in the house caught his attention.

The shower had stopped running but the sound came from a whole other direction. Ichigo frowns as he gets up cautiously; Urahara-san and Yoruichi were not supposed to return yet, and he had a feeling Rukia and Renji would not be coming back anytime soon yet as they were still needed in the guard.

Cautiously, he sneaks towards the kitchen, peeking around there. There was nobody there, just shadows all around him as the lights were off and it was nighttime. As Ichigo steps further into the kitchen however, his instincts told him something was off. A second later, something suddenly attaches to his ankle, and the next thing he knew, the shadows around the room wrap around him, tying him up and forcing him to the floor. Ichigo recognized instantly what it was, and he focuses, up until his body flares, burning the black coils around him into ashes. He stands up swiftly, face-to-face with the raven haired man, who lift eyebrow at him.

“Impressive. You seem to have learned to control your power a bit more.”

“I’m guessing you’re here to try and kidnap me.”

Ichigo replies swiftly, keeping the flames around him. Ulquiorra just nods a bit, glancing aside.

Ichigo realized too late that the man wasn’t alone, as an iron clad fist – literally, it was coated in metal – punches him in the face, knocking the young man sideways with his nose bleeding now.

“Sorry mate; it’s a pity to ruin yer face like this but we’re on a time crunch here.”

The taller man comments casually, flashing Ichigo an abnormally toothy grin.

Ichigo just spits blood to the ground, staring at the new face a little unnerved; his entire body had this weird metallic shine to it, indicating he was an iron elemental or so.

“Yeah, I know it looks fancy.”

The man chuckles, clearly proud of his power.

A second later, a lightning bolt hits him in the back, making the man stumble forward with a curse. For Ichigo’s shock, no burns appear on him as the man merely smokes, as if the iron coating him was protecting him from the shock.

“Thought I sensed somethin’ dumb around here.” Grimmjow hisses at them, and second later teleports in front of Ichigo.

He’d tugged his pants on already but was otherwise bare. Normally the ginger would have appreciated the view, but right now they were in a bit of a pinch.

“Still a firecracker, are ya, G?”

The tall man laughs, his voice reminding Ichigo of the twisted laugh Grimmjow was capable of, except this guy’s one was less deviously charming.

“Ya guys are fuckin’ dumb for showing up here. The guy who owns this place can track ya down. He probably knows yer around already.” Grimmjow tells them bluntly, electricity sparking around him.

Ichigo could not stop but note that the blunet was _tenser_ than usual, and he had a feeling it wasn’t just because of Ulquiorra.

The fact the taller man was unaffected by the bolt from earlier indicated that both of them had to be at _least_ on Grimmjow’s level.

“I’d prefer if you didn’t make this difficult; Aizen-sama has no interest in killing you yet.”

Ulquiorra tells the blunet, who just glares at him unimpressed.

“Quit bullshittin’, we both know if there’s a loose end, he’s gonna get rid o’ them.”

The raven haired male remains quiet, and Ichigo could now see the bit of conflict in his eyes; he clearly wasn’t keen on doing this. It stung, even if the ginger knew Grimmjow never saw this man that way. He was not jealous type per say, but Ichigo was aware these two had more history than him and the blunet, probably even better history.

“For this once, be rational; we’ll bring Kurosaki with us, and I can promise you he won’t be harmed; Aizen has more use to him alive and well.”

**_“BULLSHIT.”_ **

The amount of anger and despise in Grimmjow’s tone made the raven haired man step back, and even Nnoitra lift eyebrow at the reaction; he’d never seen Jeagerjaquez this adamant on holding onto someone, not after the old man got shot.

“He won’t be harmed? Then the fuck was Szayel doin’ with him for all those months? Why were there fuckers after us with weapons? Don’t give me that crap!”

The accusatory tone was clearly making Ulquiorra uncomfortable, and Nnoitra could have almost found his slight distress funny, had they not been on a hurry.

So, unceremoniously, he summons a long metal rod into his hand and attacks Grimmjow with it. The blunet quickly brings his arm up to block it, but the force behind the attack was pretty strong, actually bruising his arm. Grimmjow shoves Nnoitra aside and sends a blinding lightning bolt at the two, literally exploding the middle of the room, before shoving Ichigo towards the door.

“Move!”

“I’m not even dressed properly!”

Grimmjow just glares at him with a ‘we ain’t got time’ look, and the ginger soon realizes he was right, sprinting to the door.

Before he reached it however, another shadow coils around his leg, and Ichigo falls to the ground, turning and grabbing the damn thing, burning it.

The coil was soon replaced by another, and soon he was wrapped into those shadows again.

Ichigo releases another burst of flames to free himself, but he is knocked to the ground by Grimmjow being thrown at him by his opponent. Ichigo scrambles away from under him, and his eyes widen as he suddenly notices there was blood on the ground.

Flipping around, he realizes that several of those sharp rods had pierced through Grimmjow’s body; one on his shoulder, another on his lower stomach, and he was bleeding pretty badly. Panic settles in Ichigo’s mind, but Grimmjow just yanks the rods off, spitting out blood before coating the thing with electricity and throwing it at Nnoitra, who barely has time blocking the attack, directing it to the side, making the weapon sink deep into the wall and burn the entire surface with the sparks that erupted from it.

“Shit dude; that could’ve stung pretty bad, watch where you throw those!”

Grimmjow just grunts as he gets up, igniting another lightning into his hand and blasting it towards Nnoitra, who blocks it by crossing his arms in front of him. The amount of power behind the attack actually forces Nnoitra to blast through a wall and stumble outside. He’d also hit Ulquiorra on the way, both men scrambling to their feet on the front yard

_“Move!”_

Grimmjow tells the ginger who supports him, eyes wide with worry.

“But your injury…”

**_“NOW.”_ **

Ichigo swallows down his protests upon seeing that furious look aimed at him, and he heads towards the back door, dragging the injured male with him.

“How did they even find us? I thought Urahara san’s ability made the place undetectable…”

“Ulquiorra. That bastard can keep tabs on anyone anytime he chooses as long as they cast a shadow somehow.”

Grimmjow grunts at him, holding his side; he was panting, indicating the injuries were perhaps even worse than what they looked like.

“Shit, what should we do? You can’t run in that state!”

Ichigo stops at the door, managing to push it open.

For his slight surprise, the scenery greeting him was completely different from the front; instead of more forest like he’d expected they found themselves in some sort of back-street, indicating the two doors led to completely different places.

Grimmjow just shoves him through it, kicking the door closed behind them to buy some time.

Ichigo quickly drags him away from the street and finds another quiet corner to put the man down and lean against the wall.

“Let me see!”

Ichigo tells him frantic, pushing Grimmjow’s hand away from the stomach wound. Like the one on his shoulder, it was a deep one, and if the bleeding wouldn’t be stopped the man could die from blood-loss.

“Where…the hell are we?”

Grimmjow mutters out, his vision blurry. Ichigo looks around, and spots a sign further away. His eyes widen in surprise, as he recognizes the coffee shop it was attached to. He’d gone there several times with Rukia and Renji.

“We’re… in Seireitei.”

It actually made sense for Urahara’s secret cottage to have an entrance leading to his work city.

“Well shit.”

Grimmjow grunts, leaning his head back and closing his eyes with a frown. Ichigo quickly whips his head around and looks back at him concerned.

“We need to… we need to fix that!”

Ichigo cursed at them being caught off-guard when both of them weren’t exactly appropriately dressed up. He couldn't really think properly right now, beyond all the panic ringing in his ears.

A second later, the door they’d burst out from is kicked open, and a familiar figure emerges from there.

Before Ichigo could even react, a strong hard grasps his throat and throws him against a wall.

“Stop running away already! D’ya know how much of a pain in the ass it is when Aizen’s not happy with ya!?”

Before Ichigo could retaliate, shadows wrap around him, and this time their grip was not only tight, but seemed to be sucking energy out of him. The ginger struggles to ignite his flames to get rid of them, but he soon began to feel weak and collapsed to his knees.

Nnoitra turns to look at the blunet, who’d gone completely pale.

There was a trail of blood leading from the door to the spot he was slumped on; Nnoitra could tell the bastard would die pretty soon if the bleeding didn’t stop. Ichigo watches helplessly as the man summons another metallic weapon into his hand, looking at Grimmjow with a toothy grin.

“I’m not gonna lie; I feel kinda bad fer doing this. I always liked ya, G.”

The blunet just snorts, but doesn’t move; the blood-loss was making him too weak.

Nnoitra lifts the weapon, aiming it at his chest.

“Figured lettin’ ya out of yer misery would be merciful at this point, so don’t take it personally.”

Ichigo watches in horror, screaming out Grimmjow’s name as the weapon inches closer to him.

However, the blunet suddenly grasps the metal, stopping it on its tracks.

**_“Fuck…you…”_ **

He mumbles out, and suddenly an incredibly strong lightning bolt courses through the rod and strikes Nnoitra, sending him fly backwards against the opposite wall.

What was different about that blast than usual was the fact his lightning looked different; instead of the typical bluish glow, it had been white, and almost… _blazing?_

Nnoitra stumbles to the ground, coughing out blood as now the attack had actually scorched him.

He just stares art Grimmjow wide eyed, but the blunet had finally passed out, that attack taking last bits of energy out of him.

“S-shit, the hell was that? That didn’t feel like his usual zaps!”

Ulquiorra says nothing despite being rather surprised himself, just turns his attention to the struggling Ichigo. For a moment he remains quiet, contemplating on their options.

“I suggest you come with us peacefully, if you want us to leave him be.”

Ichigo just looks up at the raven haired male with a fierce glare.

“Why should I trust you on anything you say!?”

The taller male pushes himself off the ground, still lightly wobbly, and he limps towards them, stopping in front of Ichigo and leaning his upper body down till they were face-to-face.

“Listen up, copper; neither of us exactly wants ta kill yer boyfriend. We both _owe_ him. So you better do as Cifer says and come wit’ us or we hafta do something we don’t wanna.”

It was… weirdly honest sentence; Ichigo could tell from the glance the tall man gave to the blunet that he really was reluctant to harm Grimmjow.

Ichigo knew of Ulquiorra’s reasoning, but not this man’s.

“Even if I do, he’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Your host has already returned the house, and they’ll find him soon enough.”

Ulquiorra informs him, then adds as if sensing Ichigo’s thoughts; “if you stall us until they find us, the resulting fight could not only kill him, but also cause casualties.”

Ichigo bites his lip, realizing the raven haired male was likely correct; while it was nighttime, Ichigo was aware that this area had a lot of residents living there. A fight here could be disastrous.

The ginger gives one last glance at the blunet, hoping to whatever gods Urahara would find him before he’d bleed to death.

Ichigo lifts his head and nods, swallowing down his fear for now.

 

By the time Yoruichi and Urahara entered through the door, Ichigo and the two were gone.

Upon spotting Grimmjow lying against the wall, bleeding, the woman rushes at him to check his pulse. She looks up at Urahara seriously.

“He’s alive, but barely.”

The man just nods.

“We better make haste then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew.  
> Not gonna lie, writing this chapter was hard.  
> We are approaching the finale, and I am not entirely sure how I'm going to pace it.   
> It might take a while before I can update this story as figuring this stuff out isn't that simple.


	16. awakenings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo is brought before Aizen himself, while Grimmjow reunites with a familiar face he hadn't seen in years, and discovers some things about himself he hadn't wanted to admit

Ichigo was tense, as he was once again in a car, trapped by people who’d been chasing after him.

It was different from before though, a _limo_ rather than a fake police vehicle. The lanky male was sitting opposite of him with his hands in his pockets, whereas Ulquiorra sat beside Ichigo, eyes closed and his arms crossed. There were cuffs on his hands to negate his elemental power, although Ichigo was certain Ulquiorra could have easily done it without those.

”Yo, no need ta be so tense, carrot. Aizen-sama doesn’t really plan on killin’ ya as far as I know.”

Ichigo wanted to snort at that; yeah, maybe not _yet._

”I believe he might just be worried for Jeagerjaquez.”

Ulquiorra points out quietly, and Ichigo bites his lip, refusing to look at either of them. Yes, he was worried; Grimmjow had lost a lot of blood. If he’d gone and died...

No.

Grimmjow was stronger than that, he _had_ to be alive.

”Makes me wonder why ta fuck didya start likin’ im? I mean, I dig the dude too honestly, but yer a cop. He’s like an antithesis of you guys.”

What was with this lanky male wanting to be chatty? Ichigo also couldn’t stop but feel a familiar sting of uncontrollable jealousy upon hearing Nnoitra admit that. As if guessing his thoughts, the man smirks, the toothy grin unnerving Ichigo.

”Nah. Not that way, that's Ulquiorra's deal. Fer me he was fun ta work with, about as brutal and wicked as me.”

Ichigo had his doubts about that, but he still remained quiet.

”Gilga, please refrain from trying to get casual with him; Kurosaki is not an ally of ours.” Ulquiorra mutters out, clearly slightly displeased about the man chatting so casually with their captive.

”What’s wrong wid tryin’ ta ease the atmosphere? This ride is already uncomfortable as fuck with only you ta talk with, and ya barely open yer mouth!” The man complains, but Ulquiorra just looks at him blankly.

”Why?”

The lanky male glances at Ichigo with lift eyebrow, and the ginger bites his lip uncertain.

”Why didn’t you want to...I doubt you liking to work with him in the past would really justify holding back.”

Nnoitra shrugs, scratching his neck absentminded.

”I owe ’im. I did something stupid and he saw it, but never ratted me out fer it.”

”....He never told your boss about what you did to Nelliel.”

Nnoitra freezes, then glares at Ichigo, his eyes near burning holes trough Ichigo’s skull.

**_”How da fuck d’ya know about that?”_ **

The ginger just stares back at him, refusing to show any signs of fear.

”He told me.”

Nnoitra moves, as if to grab Ichigo, but shadowy wisps appear and tie him back to his seat. Ulquiorra reminds the man softly they were to deliver Kurosaki unharmed. The man grumbles and crosses his arms, turning his gaze away and out from the window.

The green eyes drift at the ginger beside him, and Ulquiorra could not stop but feel a little...curious.

Grimmjow was not one to open up to people easily, but given he had told Ichigo about Nnoitra and Nelliel, it indicated the man likely had shared other, more personal details about him to the young man. A level of trust Ulquiorra had never seen him portray to anybody else, besides Shawlong, and Shawlong had been like a parent to Grimmjow.

Ichigo Kurosaki was definitely _not_ a mentoring figure, but rather, something else about as important.

A lover, perhaps.

That thought caused a peculiar, unpleasant twist in his chest, an emotion Ulquiorra did not quite understand, but he had felt it before; seeing the blunet talk with ease with other people, or flirting with his marks back then, even if it was just to get info out of them, it always created this unpleasant ache he just didn’t understand.

Ulquiorra had red into it out of curiosity, and come to the conclusion the emotion was likely something akin to _jealousy._

He found such a thing pointless and unnecessary, but apparently his body just forced him to experience it. That slight aching had never been as bad as it was now, when he examined the ginger.

 

 

_I’d rather be in your place right now, because I know he will come for you._

 

 

When the blunet began to regain consciousness, his lower body hurt from the spot Nnoitra had skewered him.

His shoulder ached as well, but none of that really mattered in the wake of a goddamn killer headache he was having, the kind that felt like your skull was split open. The man groans, then hears a shift nearby him. At first he figures it’s Kurosaki, but then he spots a blond hair and a tan face looking at him with a mild concerned frown.

Harribel?

Where the fuck was he?

”He is awake finally.”

The woman turns to state at the other person in the room, which Grimmjow soon recognizes to be the mad hatter. Urahara walks closer to him, the stupid fan hiding half of his face as usual. Looking around, it was clear he was back in the cabin, in the same room he and Kurosaki had slept in.

”Good. I must admit I was concerned due to the blood-loss, but I suppose I should never underestimate your stamina.”

Grimmjow snorts, then regrets the sound instantly as it made his headache worse.

”Please refrain from moving too much; you are still heavily injured.”

The blunet almost wants to roll his eyes at that obvious statement, but his annoyance is soon replaced with dread as the events of what had transpired come back to his mind clearly. He just turns to look at Urahara, who didn’t even need to hear his question.

”They took him.”

Grimmjow’s face twists in anger, but he is unable to get up, as the pain and nausea was too much for even him to handle. It was somehow WORSE than his overload, or right bow it felt like it.

_”Why...the fuck did you...”_

He manages to growl out, his anger coming trough clearly even when his voice was raspy and quiet as all hell.

”We came by too late; I couldn’t pinpoint their location.”

”So now what? Ya just gonna sit around here and.. _shit!_ ”

The man groans and closes his eyes tightly as a wave of nausea hit him.

Fucking Nnoitra, he was gonna positively whoop his sorry ass once he got his hands on the fucker.

”You are not the only one who cares about Ichigo, so no need to spat at us!”

Grimmjow opens his eye to peek towards the voice, and he finds the annoying redhead standing nearby, arms crossed and a frown on his face.

”Oh so now ya actually _believe_ what Kurosaki told ya? Getting soft, are we?”

Grimmjow asks with a slight mocking tone, and the redhead tenses, but remains calm as he spoke.

”I....believe he sees something worthwhile in you. It doesn’t mean I _agree_ with his judgment.”

”Right, ’cause yer such an expert judge of character, a fucking psychiatrist. That ridiculous haircut sure talks about just how smart you are.” Grimmjow comments, this time rolling his eyes, unable to stop himself.

Renji looked about ready to smack him, injured or not, but the short woman who was also there places a hand on his shoulder, telling him to calm down.

”Don’t let him get to you; having you two fight does nothing to help the situation.”

Rukia tells him sternly, and Renji huffs but agrees to keep it in for now, as she had a point.

”If you feel well enough, can you please describe to us what happened?”

Urahara questions after a moment, and Grimmjow closes his eyes to gather his thoughts.

”We quit trainin’ early because of some personal shit. Later while I was in the shower, Ulquiorra and that fucker, Nnoitra, had sneaked in and were cornering Kurosaki.”

” _Wait_ , hold on, what personal matters? Why did you have to take a shower anyway? I thought that training was not physical labor inducing.”

Renji interrupts him, and Grimmjow coulsn’t stop but wonder if the redhead was purposefully looking for ways for the blunet to piss him off. Either way, he was more than happy to deliver.

”Again. Didn’t know Kurosaki’s sex-life was a public matter.”

Renji’s face goes about as red as his hair, and Rukia has to physically hold him back from charging at the smirking blunet. Harribel sighs and shakes her head a bit at the comment, but she was in truth both slightly glad and concerned. The woman could tell from what she’d heard Rukia describe her of her conversation with Grimmjow, that the man had somehow grown to care for somebody as deeply as he’d cared for Shawlong.

What worried her was what would happen if Kurosaki went and died.

There was a high chance Grimmjow would go and snap again, for instability such as the mind of a lightning elemental did not just magically go away just because one fell in love. Often times, that love could make it worse if things didn’t work out.

She had never seen it before personally, but Harribel had heard stories.

”How exactly did they manage to defeat you? As in... you were stabbed apparently, which to my understanding should not be easy...”

Rukia questions the man next, who turns his gaze aside reluctantly.

He did not trust these fuckers enough to be comfortable talking about his weaknesses.

”Nnoitra’s iron shit is special; he can make it vibrate in tune with my power so it sort of negates my transformation into pure lightning. Some sort of molecular resonance shit, hell if I know.”

That was news to Rukia, and based on everyone’s reaction - minus Harribel - it was news to them too.

Given how monstrous Grimmjow’s power often appeared as, it was easy to forget there _were_ elementals more powerful than him.

When it came to elemental power, it wasn’t always so clear cut.

Water did not always defeat fire so to say; it all depended on the user and how much they were able to mold and use their element’s various properties.

”We are mapping out every possible location Kurosaki-san could have been taken into as we speak; Harribel-san has also given us some new potential places that we had not known of.”

Grimmjow snorts at that; he doubted Aizen would be using any of his old locations, given two of his high ranking members were now working for the enemy so to say.

In the past, Grimmjow hated the mere thought, not wanting to think he was helping the damned guard with his Intel, another reason why he often told Kurosaki about what he’d found out personally. From the start, his brain had not minded tipping the ginger for some reason, finding it more acceptable and less shame inducing.

Now however....

Grimmjow didn’t give a _crap_ who he worked for, as long as they’d help him get  his ginger back.

”Do you perhaps have any idea where he’d been taken?”

Grimmjow remains quiet for a moment.

”Doubt he’d be using any place we know of, as he’s gotta be aware we could just rat it out.”

”You do have a point, Jeagerjaquez.” Harribel sighs and brushes trough her hair, not really liking the situation.

It was not just because he felt slightly indebted to the ginger officer for saving her life back when Jeagerjaquez nearly exploded with overload; she was concerned for the blunet’s mental health. Having him go batshit insane for the second time was not a good option.

”Then what? Are we supposed to just play guessing game or something?”

Renji questions, not liking the situation one bit.

Grimmjow hated the fact he sort of agreed with the redhead; it was pretty much what they would be doing right now, even if it likely would be a waste of time. They had no clue where to even start.

”Not exactly. I have an idea, but we need Jeagerjaquez-san to recover first.”

Urahara informs the group, turning to look at the blunet who lift eyebrow at him.

”That is why, please just rest and don’t move around too much, as your recovery will then take longer.”

Grimmjow was not thrilled about the idea of doing absolutely nothing right now, but his body did feel like shit, and he doubted he could do much even if he tried.

”Fine. But ya better be working yer asses off in the meantime.”

 

 

Sleep did not come easy to the man, even if he was exhausted as all hell.

He was agitated, in slight pain, and frustrated just how easily he’d been defeated.

It was shameful, pathetic, and most of all, now that _one_ thing he gave a damn about was in danger.

Like what happened every other time he got attached to something.

At first, everything had been so easy; whatever Aizen threw at him, he could handle.

All those weaklings he wiped the floor with, it had felt like a breeze.

He should’ve known shit would hit the fan eventually, he’d gotten too comfortable, too arrogant with his power. Grimmjow should’ve known.

Even for the smug, prideful asshat he was, the blunet was aware of his limitations.

With a sigh, he sits up and rubs his eyes, noting he was no longer nauseous.

 

Suddenly, the door opens to his dim room, and the blue eyes shot up, looking at the new figure cautiously stepping in. He noted the lady was in some sort of white hospital robe, and her steps were cautious, as if she was worried she’d fall over. Grimmjow recognized her instantly the second she closed the door and turned to face him.

His eyes widened in shock, as he just stared at the green haired woman he’d thought had been in coma.

” _Oderschvank?_ What the fuck?”

The green haired woman takes a moment to gather her bearings, then cautiously walks to him, sitting next to him to the bed.

She was pale, her eyes slightly dull and clearly struggling to move, but she was _awake._

”I’m so happy to see you Grimmjow. I...when Tia first told me about what had happened after I fell into coma...”

She looked like she was at the verge of tears all of a sudden, and Grimmjow had no fucking clue how to react.

He kept forgetting that yes, she had _cared_ for him back then, even if he’d refused to accept it.

Suddenly, the green haired woman moves forward and just hugs him tightly, sniffling like a damn child. The blunet was too much in shock still to react, so he just lets her hug him.

”I tried. I...I wanted to help you back then, b-but I just didn’t have enough skill. You had far too much energy for me to deal with.”

She mumbles out between sniffles, tightening her grip even further, to the point Grimmjow felt his air supply almost being cut off. Before he could tell her to knock it off, the woman lets go off him, wiping her eyes as she smiles at him.

”She then told me, that this young man they are trying to locate helped you, in more ways than one apparently. I was so glad to hear it.”

Grimmjow remains quiet for a moment, then sighs and rubs his eyes. It was just like her, just pop outta nowhere with no explanation, bawl her eyes out over somebody else before actually addressing the fact that she was _fucking there_ when she was supposed to be knocked out cold in some goddamn hospital.

”How the ** _fuck_** are you awake?”

He asks with a frown, and the woman brushes her hair, turning her gaze down between them.

”I’m guessing enough time had passed for me to recover finally. You should have seen Tia’s face when I woke up, she was so happy...”

”Then the fuck are you doing here? Shouldn’t ya be in the damn hospital and not in some random cabin?”

”After I woke up and recovered enough for my head to be clear, Urahara-san requested me to come here with Tia and share my knowledge with them - as well as look after you.”

The woman sighs and smiles at him sadly.

The blunet just looks away, not knowing what to say to that.

”Granted, that last part became reality only during the trip here, as I was informed of what happened.” She pauses, and smiles at him again. it made him uncomfortable for some reason, as there was something familiar about the smile. Always had been, but he'd never been able to figure out what it was.

"I'm so glad to see you're okay now."

Grimmjow frowns at her irritated.

” _Okay?_ Kurosaki’s who knows where, stuck with a crazy madman who can do all sorts of crazy shit to him, how the hell would ya consider me being _ **okay?!”**_

Nelliel shakes her head with a slight laugh, then grasps his hand into hers.

The gesture was so sudden and gentle, that he once again didn’t know what to do.

That was the thing about Nelliel that had always annoyed him; when she was being nice, he just sort of froze, not knowing how to react. It related to that thing with her smile making him uncomfortable because of the familiarity in it.

”I meant that you no longer look like you’re waiting for someone to take you out.”

She professes softly, squeezing his hand gently. Her hazel eyes are melancholic when she looks up to him.

”You were in so much pain back then, mentally and physically. It felt like... like you were just waiting to _die._ ”

Her voice turns shaky again, and for the first time since ever, Grimmjow felt kind of shitty for making her upset.

He didn’t voice this thought out or apologize however, knowing it was not something she expected.

”It was heartbreaking, seeing someone as young as you back then, who just...who felt near dead inside.”

Nelliel brushes her eyes again, then brings her hand up to brush his cheek. It was not an intimate gesture by any means like Ichigo’s would be, but rather, almost _motherly._

It was.... weird.

”Now, I can see there’s life in there. Whatever Ichigo Kurosaki did for you, it saved your life.”

Grimmjow remains quiet as his mouth goes dry.

Yeah, she was not wrong.

It was just, he _still_ didn’t think he deserved it.

”I promise you; we’ll do all we can to rescue him. I will not stand seeing you with that hollow look in your eyes ever again.”

She tells him firmly, grasping the man’s shoulders.

It was kind of hilarious; here she was, making those big promises when she could barely even stand straight of walk properly.

Still, he couldn’t stop but appreciate it.

Grimmjow also began to realize slowly just _what_ exactly it was about Oderschvank this whole time that had made him uncomfortable. Finally, his beehive of a brain decided to clear away enough noise for him to acknowledge a detail that had been there for a long time, a detail he'd subconsciously blocked away from his conscious mind.

 

_She was a lot like his mum._

 

 

 

The place Ichigo was brought was big. It was the first thing he noted after being led inside.

He had no clue where it was exactly, given Ulquiorra had blinded him briefly when they headed out of the car. It looked like some sort of a laboratory or so, given the white sterile walls and long empty corridors.

Eventually, he is led to a large room that stood out from what he’d seen so far; it looked like a waiting room into the office of some high level businessman with comfy chairs and sofas, oak furniture and decorative wallpaper. A pigtailed woman was sitting on the ’secretary’ seat, and she had a large, puffy white skirt on that made Ichigo wonder how the heck did she manage to sit with that on, when it looked like it didn’t really bend and fold at all.

”Yo, Is boss already there, woman?”

The girl looks up at Nnoitra with an annoyed look.

”Have more respect when you talk, Gilga!”

The lanky male just rolls his eyes at her.

”His question is still valid; has Aizen-sama arrived yet, for we have brought Kurosaki with us.” Ulquiorra joins in softly, looking at the girl directly in the eyes.

That’s when the woman finally seems to notice Ichigo and examines him from head to toe with an unimpressed look, which was probably due to the fact he still only had a bathrobe on.

”I have to admit, I expected something more spectacular looking.”

”Sorry, I would’ve dressed better but these two rudely snatched me right after shower.”

The woman tsks, then glares at Nnoitra again. ”Get him proper clothes before you bring him in front of Aizen-sama! This is shameful!”

Nnoitra flinches and rubs his ear, grumbling under his breath about her overly loud voice.

”Very well.” Ulquiorra comments calmly, and grabs Ichigo’s shoulder, guiding him towards another door on the side.

They enter another corridor, though this one was more in the style of the waiting room, instead of the laboratory bit they’d gone trough. He is led to a small room, where Ulquiorra tells him to wait before closing the door and locking it behind him. Ichigo sighs and slips to sit down on the couch.

He could try to escape right now, but given he was in the lair of Aizen himself now, in all likeness that plan would not work out that well, especially not when he wasn’t exactly sure where this place was and how big the building is. Moments later, Ulquiorra comes back with a bundle of white clothing, telling him to put it on. Ichigo grasps the pile, then stares at the raven haired male.

”Little privacy would be nice.”

Ulquiorra just gazes at him for a moment, then turns and walks out, locking the door again.

He was likely waiting outside for Ichigo to be done with it. He wasn’t surprised if the man was watching him trough his shadow ability regardless. It was an unpleasant thought, but Ulquiorra didn’t come off as a pervert really, so in all likeness if he did survey him, it was for security reasons.

Ichigo examines the white clothing given to him miffed; it looked similar to the uniform Ulquiorra was wearing.

Except, the jacket was much shorter and had black insides.

As Ichigo held it for a moment, he suddenly had a sense of deja-vu.

This was.... An image flashes in his head, a photograph.

It was a photograph of _Grimmjow_ he’d seen once.

Granted, in the photo the jacket had had a hood in it, but Ichigo was somehow sure this one also had belonged to Grimmjow.

As he examines it more closely, he notices there was a faint, faded number six at the back of it.

So this _did_ belong to him.

Somehow, this pointless knowledge made him feel a bit better.

It was stupid as the thing was just a piece of old clothing, but knowing it belonged to Grimmjow somehow eased his mind a little.

With a sigh, he tugs the clothes on, noting that while the shirt and pants fit to him, the jacket was slightly too big, probably because Grimmjow was taller and his frame was slightly stronger than his.

Part of Ichigo wondered why had Ulquiorra chosen to give him that, but other part figured it didn’t matter.

Glancing at the mirror, he felt like the outfit as a whole made him look like one of Aizen’s goons, and it was very unpleasant thought. Likely, having him look like one of them was the point, some sort of psychological manipulation tactic.

”Alright, I’m done. Are we gonna go or what?”

Less than a second later, Ulquiorra appears in the room trough the shadows, startling Ichigo.

He examines the ginger for a moment with a stoic look, then walks to the door and opens it, gesturing him to step out. Ichigo does so cautiously, and follows the man back towards the lounge area. As he enters, the woman behind the desk takes another look and lifts eyebrow as she recognizes the jacket Ichigo was wearing.

”You still had that? Why give it to a prisoner, I thought it was important to you.”

There was slight mockery in her tone, but as Ulquiorra looks up at her, she quickly grows silent, apparently second-guessing her choice of words. It was clear that despite her earlier sass, the woman was rightfully afraid and respectful of Ulquiorra’s power.

”It was the only one that would fit him; I’d never give him my own clothing.”

Ichigo glances at the pants and shirt he was wearing; he had inititally thought they were Ulquiorra’s, but apparently that wasn’t the case. Glancing at the raven haired male, Ichigo had a feeling Ulquiorra’s coat would easily fit him, but it was clear nobody wanted to question his reasoning.

As the raven haired male glances back at Ichigo, the ginger notes he had a slight displeased look on his face, like he didn’t really like the idea of having handed the jacket over to Ichigo.

It made the ginger question just why exactly he’d done it.

”Aizen-sama will take you in shortly, just wait a moment.”

Cirucci informs them as she presses a button on her desk, likely informing her boss about the visitors. Eventually, the door opens and Ichigo is escorted inside by the duo that kidnapped him. He is made to sit in front of the large mahogany desk that had a black leather chair behind it.

Currently, the man had his back turned to Ichigo, but soon enough, he turns the chair, bringing the ginger face-to-face with the man the Guard had been chasing for years. ”Aizen.” Ichigo comments dully, and the man just smiles at him, a confident, calm smile of a man who was completely fearless.

” _Kurosaki Ichigo._ I’ve been waiting to meet you.”

”Can’t say the feeling is mutual.”

The man chuckles a bit, clearly not bothered by his comment.

He then waves at the duo to leave them alone, and Nnoitra and Ulquiorra leave Ichigo by himself, though they don’t leave the large room; Ulquiorra sits down at the couches on the corner, whereas Nnoitra remains standing near the door.

”Please don’t be alarmed; I have no intention to harm you.”

”Yeah? Those guys shooting at me, trying to kill me or at least break my bones tells a different story.”

”Excuse my underlings; they are... overly eager. Not to mention, after the incident over a year ago in my manor, they’ve become rather trigger happy the second they see someone with blue hair.”

Aizen chuckles, like what he just told was actually a funny joke. Ichigo didn’t laugh.

”It was _your_ fault he ended up that way.”

The ginger tells him with an angry tone, but the man wasn’t phased one bit.

”I DID have Nelliel-chan to try and aid him, but unfortunately the boy was too aggressive for even her to help, so it really isn’t on my conscience.”

Ichigo stands up, slamming his hands on the table as anger washed over him. A mere second later, shadows shoot and wrap around him, forcing him to sit back down. Ichigo doesn’t resist, but still glares at the smirking brunet, wanting to punch his teeth in.

”YOU made him do all those things that made it worse! You enabled it. You even killed that one person that COULD help him!”

Aizen lifts eyebrow, clearly amused by Ichigo’s telling words.

”Well well. Our little runaway has really grown fond of you, hasn’t he? I’ve never come across anybody who’d know this much detail about him, without being there when it transpired. You are a peculiar one, Kurosaki Ichigo.”

The ginger just snorts, keeping the angry glare on his face.

”Now now, there is no need to look so hostile; I understand your upset over the matter, but past is past, we need to focus on the future.”

”Like hell I’d help you!” Ichigo spats at him, tugging against the shadows tying him up, not caring that they tightened uncomfortably as he did so.

The brunet sighs dramatically and rubs his eyes, looking at Ichigo slightly displeased, though all of it was clearly theatrics.

”I’d appreciate you to try and be civil with me, Kurosaki. I even requested Ulquiorra to hand over one of his treasured possessions to you just to make you feel more comfortable.”

Ichigo pauses, not understanding what the man meant at first, but as he recalls the displeased look from Ulquiorra earlier, Ichigo realizes the man was referring to the _jacket_ he was wearing.

”He kept it stored away ever since Jeagerjaquez left for his bombing mission, and has refused to let go of it. It is a...peculiar sentiment from a man as emotionless as him, but as my loyal subordinate, I respect his wishes.”

Aizen nods towards Ulquiorra, who doesn’t look up from his book, as if pretending to not listen to the conversation. Ichigo could tell however he was lightly tense however, clearly not liking how his boss brought this detail up.

”Me having Grimmjow’s jacket isn’t exactly a comfort; I’d rather have him here with me, or better, be with HIM and not here at all.”

Ichigo tells Aizen sternly, and the man’s smirk widens.

He clearly found Ichigo’s fondness for his old subordinate amusing, and it pissed Ichigo the hell off.

”Knowing him, he’ll in all likeness join us soon. He is not the type to have something of his taken away and not seek for revenge.”

Yeah, Aizen was right with that; the whole mansion thing had been revenge for killing his friends.

Ichigo did not like the way the man mentioned this, let alone the expression he was having.

It was clear Aizen was counting on the fact Grimmjow would come for Ichigo.

”In truth, having you here would be enough for me, hence having Jeagerjaquez live or die did not matter either way. However, since I have reasons to believe he’s alive still, I can safely assume he will grace us with his presence soon enough, which will only be useful to me.”

”What the hell do you even want from me?!”

Aizen remains quiet, examining his anger twisted face, never swaying from his state of calm. He had not done it even when Jeagerjaquez had all but destroyed his previous base, and Kurosaki Ichigo was even less terrifying in his eyes.

”I will tell you soon enough; for now, I just want you to be at home in our humble residence. Do not consider yourself a prisoner, but a guest.”

With that, the man turns his back to Ichigo again, and he is escorted out from the room, worry edging into his mind; if Aizen was fully aware of what Grimmjow would do... the blunet might be heading for a trap.

Worst part was, Ichigo knew the man would come no matter what, and he had no way of warning him. Ichigo clutches the jacket he was wearing, hoping to whatever gods that he could come up with something.

 

 

 

 

Grimmjow was feeling better now, at least physically; he was no longer nauseous and most aching was gone, though he had occasional dizziness.

However, the man was still a mess mentally, unable to stay still, and he paced around the room like a caged animal, his energy sparking around him slightly.

Nobody dared to come close to him at the moment, which was probably good as he felt like he was just seconds away from tearing someone a new one. Urahara and Yoruichi were in the other room discussing with Harribel about any potential leads, while Renji and Rukia watched after the agitated blunet.

Or to be exact, they sat at the table on the other side of the room, too unnerved to say a word.

The only one who dared to be near Grimmjow and was currently sitting on the bed he’d been on was the green haired woman, who’d lied down there after he started to feel dizzy. Renji had been surprised to see that the crazy bastard had not objected to her lying down there one bit, just rolled his eyes at her. There had to be some sort of history between these two as well, and apparently it was less hostile than with most.

”Grimm, I know you’re worried, but wasting your energy like this won’t help.”

Nelliel tells him gently, and Renji half expects the man to spat at her, if not for bothering his angry pacing, then at least over using the nickname only Ichigo was allowed to use.

For his surprise, the blunet grunts and then slumps to sit beside her, rubbing his eyes as he tried to get his raging brain back under control.

”T’s not fuckin’ easy, Nel.”

The green haired woman lifts her hand to gently comb his hair, and for some reason, she didn’t get zapped for it.

”It seems he’s fine with her.”

Rukia comments quietly, clearly as puzzled as Renji. The redhead just nods, and couldn’t stop but note that the way the green haired woman was acting towards Jeagerjaquez right now, it felt almost... motherly.

 

”I know. Your element sure doesn’t make this easy for you.”

Nelliel comments sadly, dropping her hand to his shoulder.

Grimmjow remains quiet, just staring at the floor like it personally offended him.

 

Rukia gets up and slips out of the room, noting that Yoruichi and Urahara were currently looking trough some files. Harribel notices her and nods slightly. Rukia glances back into the room, then walks to the blond haired woman. She seemed to know what Rukia wanted to ask, as the woman sighs and gestures her to follow. The two step out of to the cottage’s terrace, and sit down on to the chairs there.

”Back when Grimmjow first joined us, Aizen asked Nelliel to look after him and try to balance his energy with the help of her ability.”

Rukia still didn’t know exactly the extend of Nelliel’s power, but it was clearly significant.

”She tried, and I could tell she’d taken helping him as a personal mission for her. Even when he was being rude and aggressive towards her, she never got angry with him.”

Rukia lifts eyebrow at that; it was hard to imagine anybody to be able to stand Jeagerjaquez’ atrocious attitude.

Then again... she _clearly_ didn’t know the whole story about him.

”I feel...while back then I always thought of him as a bit of a lost cause, in hindsight I think Nelliel’s kindness did have a small effect on him, even if subconscious. That’s probably why he’s relatively nice to her right now.”

Harribel sighs and brushes her hair, glancing towards the window of the room the blunet and her partner were in right now.

”...I suppose the only thing we know for certain, is that we don’t actually know anything about him.”

Rukia comments finally, gaining an amused chuckle from Harribel, who had to agree with her.

”For a man as brash and aggressive as he is, Jeagerjaquez isn’t actually that easy to read.”

 

 

 

 

”You need to eat.”

Nelliel tells the blunet gently, but Grimmjow shakes his head, informing he wasn’t hungry. Others had gone to the kitchen for food, but the blunet just refused to join them, so much do that Nelliel had taken it upon herself to bring him food.

”You cannot help him if you starve yourself to death.”

”I ** _ain’t fuckin’ hungry,_** get that trough your thick skull already, woman!”

Grimmjow growls at her, and Nelliel shifts back a bit, fidgeting on her feet uneasily. It had been so long, that she couldn’t quite recall how to deal with his outbursts.

Luckily though, she didn’t really have to, as the blunet calms down quickly and rubs his eyes, muttering an apology under his breath.

Nelliel puts the tray of food down to the nightstand and slips to sit beside him again, examining the tired looking man concerned. His expression reminded her of how he used to be back then, except this pain was more emotional rather than mental or physical.

Grimmjow was tense and trigger happy, because he didn’t know what to do.

He could not just dash out and wreck shit like he usually could; not only because he had no fucking clue as to where Kurosaki was, but because the place he’d have to go would have folk stronger than him, and this time he actually wanted to live.

”He’s really important to you.”

Grimmjow snorts and gives her his best ’no shit’ expression.

”I’m not saying it to state the obvious; I’m just trying to remind you to stay calm; you cannot help Ichigo if you cannot even keep yourself in shape.”

Nelliel tells him gently, holding the apple she’d brought him alongside rest of the food. With a sigh the man grabs it and eats, gaining a small smile from her.

”Still though; it’s curious how you two were able to share your power in such manner. I have a natural ability to take one’s power and use it, yet you two did it without such advantages.”

The green haired woman comments, brushing his hair thoughtfully.

Normally Grimmjow would have flipped his shit over anyone but Kurosaki getting that close to him, but after he’d _finally_ acknowledged begrudgingly, that this grass-headed woman sort of reminded him of his ma, Grimmjow found himself be surprisingly chill about her combing trough it.

It was... comforting in a weird, bittersweet way.

As he finishes the meal the woman brought for him, something starts nagging at the back of his head, and he brings his hand up, examining it.

”...Nnoitra tried ta kill me.”

Nelliel pauses, turning her gaze to Grimmjow slightly tense.

”Wanted ta poke his rod right trough m’chest. He couldn’t do it though.”

”....Why?”

Grimmjow closes his hand into a fist briefly, before opening it again. A small bit of electricity danced around his hand, the color being his usual blue.

”I...my power busted out and burned the fucker pretty bad. It was weird ’cause it was white and had flames mixed in to it.”

Nelliel’s eyes widen and she gasps slightly, holding a hand over her mouth.

”T’was not my power fully, was it?”

He half states, half asks, glancing at Nelliel briefly. For a moment she remains quiet, then relaxes again and nods, turning her gaze downwards.

”Something like that... it was what Aizen wanted out from my ability. An elemental user to be able to mix their power with someone elses. You and Ichigo seem to be able to do it.”

”The hatter guy said somethin’ about my energy also triggering Kurosaki’s metahuman abilities to resurface. Ya think that might also have something to do with it?”

”Perhaps. The thing between you two - when speaking of your energies that is - is peculiar.”

Grimmjow hums but says nothing, face in a deep thoughtful frown.

Shit was about to go down, he was sure of it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOI  
> we are almost D-O-N-E with this story.  
> I can safely say it's only gonna be around 20 chapters total.  
> I gotta say, thank you for all the people reading and enjoying this AU, it has been a blast to write it, especially with all the positive feedback I've gotten from you guys. 
> 
> Worry not though; even when this story ends, I have another, longer one I am in the middle off (the Whispers and Warriors one) that you readers can (hopefully) enjoy in the future.


	17. The song of an elemental

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo finally learns why he is so special that Aizen wants him.  
> Nelliel gives Grimmjow much needed prep-talk

**Couple days earlier**

* * *

 

Harribel had just arrived the hospital, and was heading to the usual room to sit and watch over her sleeping partner.

The current situation was still critical, but at least Kurosaki and Jeagerjaquez were safe now, as Urahara-san had finally caught up with them. She was still rather surprised about the fact the blunet had grown to care of the young man he once almost killed, and beat several times. What was even more surprising was the fact Kurosaki seemed to _return_ those feelings despite everything.

Harribel couldn’t stop but wonder whenever his memory loss made it easier for him to forgive Grimmjow’s actions.

 

_”Kurosaki-san does remember a lot of it at this point, so I doubt that has any effect on it; rather, he’s always been the kind of person who gives people second chances.”_

 

That was how Urahara had explained it to her, and while it was a nice sentiment, it could be dangerous stance to have. It was not that she hated the thought of the man getting a second chance.

Harribel did not despise Grimmjow by any means, she never had.

The woman was just concerned what would happen if yet another thing was ripped away from the blue haired man. He did not react well to losses like this.

As Harribel steps in to Nelliel’s room with a sigh, she freezes on her tracks. Her gaze lands on the figure on the bed, a figure that was _sitting_ , not resting.

Hazel brown eyes look around hazily, a confused look in them. Eventually her gaze lands on the blond woman, and after a moment, a small smile spreads on her lips.

_”...Tia?”_

Harribel is instantly by her side, supporting the green haired woman as she collapses against her, giving her a weak hug. Her voice was disoriented, but the fact she was this lucid when waking up for the first time....

_”Where...am I?”_

”Seireitei Central Hospital.”

Nelliel frowns a bit, her gaze still blurry and she leans heavily against the blond woman.

_”Central....why would....Aizen-sama...?”_

”He didn’t. We are no longer under his rule.”

Harribel tells her gently, and the brown eyes widen a bit, before closing again as the light around her was a bit too much for Nelliel’s eyes still.

_”Why... what...?”_

”It’s a long story; you need to rest, you are clearly still weak.”

Harribel tells her gently, helping the woman to lie back down. She manages to grasp her hand before the blond was able to move away however, and hazel eyes look up at her with worry.

_”Where....is....is he....?”_

Harribel could guess whom she was referring to; it was just like her to ask about the young man she’d been looking after as one of the first things after waking up.

”He’s...okay. He’s safe for now.” The woman tells her partner gently, who manages to frown a bit, as if she was thinking Harribel was lying to her to make her feel better.

She didn’t blame Nelliel for that assumption.

”I promise, I’ll explain everything to you soon; please rest for now, you are clearly still too weak.”

After a moment, Nelliel closes her eyes and falls back asleep.

Part of Harribel wondered if she’d just fall back into coma, but something told her that would not be the case. The fact she was this active the first time she woke up, indicated her healing was making rapid progress. Harribel could feel Nelliel’s elemental power radiate from her already, stronger by each minute. It was quite clear to her, that waking from an overload induced coma was somehow different from waking up from a normal one.

The woman stands up and grasps her cellphone, calling her Guard allies about the development. Initially, she hadn’t wanted to involve Nelliel in anything, but Harribel had a feeling she’d have to do that, and would probably even want to, given Jeagerjaquez was at the center of this storm right now. The blond woman watches her partner sleep, while the call connects.

* * *

 

 

 

Ichigo wasn’t quite sure how long he’d sat in that damn room, but by the time the door opened again, it felt like he’d been staring the opposite wall for ages.

The room was clearly reinforced and also elemental power proof, so he hadn’t had much chances to escape.

Not to mention, he still had the negating cuffs on him. The person stepping in was not Ulquiorra this time, but the woman from the office, Circus or whatever her names was. She was holding a neutralizer in her hand, which didn’t surprise Ichigo one bit.

”Get up, Aizen-Sama wants to see you.” The woman orders, and Ichigo slips up from the couch.

”And I thought I already did that. Did the old man forget to tell me something?”

Cirucci just slaps him and orders him to move.

Ichigo rubs his stinging cheek and does as she says for now. This time, she did not lead him to the office however, but the opposite direction, heading to the area that looked more like a laboratory. As they enter into a larger room, filled with computers and all other science-y stuff, Ichigo spots a familiar figure in the corner; Szayel.

So he was still alive?

Upon noticing Ichigo, the man clearly attempts to hide himself somewhat, which was kind of understandable; last time they met, he got beat up pretty bad, and Ichigo could still see slight burns and injuries from Grimmjow’s lightning. The man not wanting to have anything to do with this project was perfectly reasonable after the trouble he went trough.

Still, he tried to poison Ichigo’s friends and Grimmjow, so the ginger at least aims a good glare at him.

The woman forces him to sit in the chair provided for him on the other side of the table Aizen stood behind. 

The man himself was currently looking trough some data in the main computer, before turning to face Ichigo.

”Excuse me for the wait; I had to get some things ready first.”

Ichigo remains quiet, glancing around for a bit; the room was full of people, scientists mostly, but the tall guy - Nnoitra - was standing near the doorway, and Ulquiorra was somewhere too, Ichigo could feel his shadows concentrate silently around him. Ichigo could bet there were more powerful people around to make sure he didn’t try anything.

”Thank you, Cirucci, you may go now.”

The woman nods after a moment of hesitation, and heads back to her post, leaving Ichigo sitting there, surrounded by dozens of unknown faces. He began to feel uncomfortable, being stared at like this; it brought some unpleasant flashbacks in mind from the time Szayel had him.

Ichigo refuses to let his anxiety take a hold of him now however, so he just stares at Aizen with his back straightened, keeping a frown on his face.

”I assume you have some sort of idea why you are here, despite your initial words.”

Aizen comments casually, like he was chatting to an old friend. That kind of confidence was both unnerving and irritating.

”It has something to do with what happened back then.” Ichigo responds, refusing to give out exactly how much he’d deduced.

Aizen hums and nods, turning to face the computer. The ginger now realized it was playing a security feed from somewhere. To be exact, it was a recording from the very event he’d just mentioned. Ichigo had not known the area had a camera, let alone imagined one could survive in that place during a lightning-based overload. Ichigo watched the scene unfolding on the screen; it was moments before he’d show up in the room, with Grimmjow and Harribel seemingly talking.

It was heart-wrenching to witness all that again.

Ichigo had recovered most of his memory about the events, but now last bits of haze from his head cleared, and he had to use all his willpower to not start shaking as the memories became sharp in his brain. Ichigo reminded himself that Grimmjow was fine now; the overload was gone. Moments later, he sees himself appear on the screen, and he could remember clearly just how painful it had been, trying to reach the man trough the intense aura around him.

It was so powerful that the camera feed started to glitch and pixelate, picture turning into static at times.

Moments later, there was a giant flash and for a while, all the feed showed was white and static.

Then, the image appears back, and Ichigo knew this had to be from after he’d been knocked out cold by the impact.

He watches as Grimmjow stands up off the ground, shrugging off the still burning coat. The blue eyes look around hazily, and for a moment he just looks at his hands, likely slowly realizing he wasn’t dead like he thought he would be.

Next second, he glances aside and walks towards a heap on the ground - himself, Ichigo noted as the pile had an orange hair - and crouches next to it.

Given his back was turned to the camera, Ichigo couldn’t see what Grimmjow was doing, and a moment later, he gets up and disappears from frame. Moments later a large group of Shinigami official floods the scene.

”His survival was quite a miracle, especially given how he did not fall into a comatose state like Oderschvank did.”

Aizen comments, clearly quite fascinated by what he witnessed, before turning back towards Ichigo.

”There is something special about you two, and I believe it is connected to the fact you both were born with immense power.”

”Yeah, didn’t know about that myself.” Ichigo comments with a shrug, not really knowing what he was supposed to say or do right now.

”So I’ve heard. It seems that you have learned how to stabilize your energy now, which is unusual, given a metahuman reaching full maturity in this age would normally mean death.”

The ginger crosses his arms, frowning as he tried to look as confident as possible, despite being surrounded by bad guys that likely planned something nasty for him.

”Stop stating the obvious. Just tell me why you wanted me here.”

Aizen chuckles at his directness, like having Ichigo demand things from him was the funniest thing ever.

”Szayel studied you to get to the bottom of just why exactly were you able to perform something Oderschvank couldn’t, despite her ability having natural tendencies for it. While you did cause a hitch on his research by escaping, he did manage to connect the dots somewhat, concluding that you and Jeagerjaquez have near exactly the same resonance.”

”Reso... _what?_ ”

Aizen turns to look at Szayel still lurking in the shadows. The pink haired man is shoved to the spotlight then and he coughs, trying to ignore the glare the fire elemental aimed at him. It was... weird to see him be afraid of Ichigo like that.

After all, it was _Grimmjow_ who’d nearly killed him, not Ichigo. It seems his fiery outburst had really taken the bastard off-guard.

”Every elemental has an aura of energy surrounding them; this energy takes the shape of the element each user commands. Each aura has a resonance level, like ripples on a pond to put it crudely.”

Ichigo had no clue what the hell all that meant, and it likely showed from his face, given the annoyed way Szayel huffs and rolls his eyes at him.

”You are _literally_ a walking torch, not just because you are a fire elemental. Your elemental energy itself flickers, and it does it in a certain frequency, a beat of music one could say.”

”....And that is important, because?”

Szayel glances at his boss, as if wanting to ask if he really had to explain this to this scientifically illiterate fool. As Aizen just gazes back at him calmly, the pink haired man huffs and turns his attention to the computer, bringing up an image of a human figure with a halo surrounding it.

”Each elemental has this. It is what we use to detect one another. Surely you _at least_ know of their existence.”

”Yeah. It was just getting kind of confusing with all the metaphors.”

”I had to dumb it down to an imbecile like you. In any case, what makes you and Jeagerjaquez’ case special, is that your auras resonate the exact same way. Almost like both of you played the same song so to say.”

Ichigo frowns a bit; while most of this still went over his head, he began to understand it a little bit.

”The same kind of similarity was witnessed between Tier and Oderschvank back then; based on my research strong emotional bonds seem to effect elemental auras, making them be even more in sync. I have not figured out exactly why that is the case just yet, though.”

Ichigo almost wanted to snort; _of course_ a psycho like Szayel wouldn’t understand a thing about bonds between people, he was too in love with his own voice to care for anybody else.

”However, there is a catch; while those two women did match, their auras are too passive to process such data exchange.”

”Tune down the smartypants lingo will ya? I doubt the ginger gets you.” Nnoitra suddenly comments from the doorway, making Szayel glare at him irritated.

He seems to hold back any spiteful words however as his boss was still watching his performance intently.

”Basically, their auras couldn’t merge despite playing the same ’song’ so to say. Two people singing in tune, but too far away to hear each other.”

”I still don’t get how this relates to me and Grimm.”

Ichigo informs the man truthfully, feeling highly uneasy with all the eyes on him, and the shadows dancing around his ankles, ready to tie him up if necessary.

A slight smirk spreads across Szayel’s face, and he types on the keyboard again, this time bringing up what seemed to be a file on Grimmjow; there was a photo of him, wearing the hooded white jacket and that stoic, insanity hiding expression that Ichigo had seen when they first met. The gaze he had there was highly terrifying, because it felt kind of dead, like he didn’t care about anything anymore.

It was not the Grimmjow he’d grown used to now, and quite frankly, preferred.

”Jeagerjaquez was always a peculiar child, being born with an immense level of highly reactive power. This means that if any sort of aura merging were to occur, it would in all likeness occur with him. That was the true reason behind Aizen-sama wanting him under his ranks, and have Nelliel watch after him.”

Another set of photos, some with a green haired woman Ichigo assumed was Nelliel, others from some sort of training fights, with Grimmjow’s opponent usually a bloody heap to the ground.

”Unfortunately, Oderschvank was unable to do anything with him, because despite her ability to take other people’s power, simply because her aura did not match with his.”

Ichigo tilts his head, gaining an annoyed huff from Szayel who could tell the ginger wasn’t following him. He holds a finger up, eyes burning to Ichigo.

”In conclusion; what you need to perform the task Aizen-sama wished to do, you need two things; matching frequency between two elemental auras, and they also have to be _highly reactive._ ”

Ichigo pauses, then slowly, his brain starts to make connections. Perhaps...’being born highly reactive’ meant having immense level of metahuman powers since you were born?

Something that apparently he’d had as well, as Ichigo had recently discovered from Urahara.

The pink haired man smiles pleased as Ichigo’s eyes widen, sensing the thick headed officer was finally getting it.

”That’s right. You two happen to meet both conditions, and as of recently, seem to have developed quite a bond which only strengthens the effect.”

Ichigo just stares at Szayel, not knowing what to say; all that sounded kind of....he wasn’t even sure what, **big** probably, given how enthusiastic the lunatic scientist was about the whole deal.

Still...

”I’ve kept hearing that you want to enhance elementals somehow, by giving them the ability to have more elements under their control.”

It was more of a statement than a question, which he aims at the brunet, who just smiles and nods slightly.

”I’ve been doing research on it for years, but it seems you two are my breakthrough.”

Ichigo did not like the cold smile aimed at him; Aizen was making him sound like a damn lab-rat.

”I’m guessing this whole aura-mixing thing Grimm and I can do is somehow useful regarding to that.” Ichigo comments, trying to remain calm.

”Indeed; though even child should know that when you mix two auras together, it means both parties can use each others’ power.” Szayel comments with a shrug, sounding like his statement should be something obvious.

Ichigo brings a hand up and holds his chin as he ponders this new information.

He had never really... used lightning before, but... Back in the alleyway, when Nnoitra had nearly killed Grimmjow, whatever power the blunet had used, it had looked more like Ichigo’s flames rather than his normal thunder.

Glancing at the tall man, he seemed to be thinking along the same lines as there was a curious frown on his face.

”Do you understand now why I wanted you here? You are a very special young man, Kurosaki Ichigo; you are the key in completing my life-long dream.” Aizen tells him that same, calculative smile never leaving his lips.

The ginger just stares at him, not knowing what to say.

”Why did you even tell me all this?”

Aizen hums and walks closer, planting a hand on Ichigo’s shoulder, clearly not worried the slightest that he could try and attack him, neutralizing cuffs or not.

”So that you understand the situation; you’ll be sacrificing yourself for the greater good. My formula can truly transform the future battlefields; a war can be put to an end with just one person on the field, or even be prevented with just a few. The elemental-guard branch won't be needed when only one elemental is enough to deal with the criminals.”

_Sacrificing?_

Ichigo backs away, looking at him warily.

”What do you mean by sacrificing?”

Aizen’s smile turns into a slightly malicious smirk and he snaps his fingers. Seconds later, shadows envelop Ichigo completely, until he is unable to move at all.

”Thanks to Ulquiorra’s unique power, I have developed a way to extract people’s elemental aura from them; we can use it to create a formula, that when given to any elemental, they’ll be able to combine their power with someone else's, becoming infinitely more powerful.”

The man pauses, giving him almost a pitying look.

”Too bad that the process of removing your elemental power will likely kill you, but as I said; you’ll be sacrificing yourself for the greater good.”

Ichigo feels a sliver of fear run down his spine, and he struggles against the shadows, attempting to light his flames despite knowing he couldn’t.

”Of course, given Jeagerjaquez is alive and will likely come looking for you, we might as well take his as well; originally I didn't necessarily need him for this given I have a way to artificially replicate the matching aura-frequency, but it is surely easier to complete the serum with having the real deal in it.”

The brown eyes widen even further, and then his face twists into an angry glare, next words coming out in a fierce spat.

”Lay a hand on him and I WILL end you! _Haven’t you done enough harm to him?!”_

Aizen just chuckles, amused about his outburst, before turning to face Ulquiorra who’s binded him with the shadows.

”Take him to containment; we’ll be preparing for the visitors I know will be coming.”

Ulquiorra just nods and wraps the struggling ginger even tighter into the shadowy mass, until not even an obnoxiously bright lock of hair could be seen from it.

His face was stoic as ever, but something in his chest _ached_ upon hearing those words from Aizen.

It was a peculiar, unpleasant feeling, worse than the jealousy he’d sensed earlier.

Ulquiorra wasn’t sure what it was, but he wanted the aching to go away.

 

 

 

When Urahara finally deemed the man stable enough to finally explain his grand plan, Grimmjow joins the group around the kitchen table, the only person daring to sit near him being Nelliel.

”What are we going to do, Urahara-san?”

Rukia questions the hat wearing man, who turns his attention to Grimmjow, who was leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed and face in a strangely stoic state. He’d been so angry before, but it seemed like the man had gone back to that unnerving, blank visage Rukia could remember seeing back when he was first brought to the police station. A mask that was bound to hide a storm of emotion, likely anger.

”I am going to explain this as simply as I can; based on my observations and research regarding elementals and elemental auras, I have a reason to believe that Grimmjow-san is able to locate Ichigo by just searching his aura specifically.”

Everyone’s eyes widen, except Grimmjow, who kept his expression blank.

”How... how would something like that be possible? Searching for a specific person when you do not know exactly where they are?”

Rukia questions the man baffled, who just hums, placing his fan to the table.

”I could spend all this time explaining to you about the ’songs’ of elemental auras and reactivity, but we do not have time for that. Simply speaking, Kurosaki-san and Grimmjow’s elemental energies are similar to one another, and have been in such close connection a lot recently, that a bond has formed between them, a bond he can use to locate Ichigo.”

Everybody turns to look at Grimmjow now, who had closed his eyes briefly to process what the man had just said.

He found the whole idea kind of ridiculous, but also painfully possible.

Painfully, because it demonstrated just how attached he was to the damned ginger, how his possessive side was getting the better of him.

Finally, he opens his eyes, staring at Urahara with a frown.

”Even if I can pull that shit off, how the hell are we gonna get him outta there? I bet Aizen’s brought him to a place full o’ his stronger goons, like the two who snatched Kurosaki, let alone Starrk bein’ there.”

Both Rukia and Renji glance at each other, trying to recall that name from the files that spoke of Aizen, but neither seemed to have a clue who that was.

”We have been preparing a rescue operation with the Guard, Yoruichi’s squad to be exact.”

Urahara tells him and nods towards the dark skinned woman, who smirks at Grimmjow.

”...Ya dumbasses better be aware it’s gonna be a trap in all likeness. The fucker knows ta expect you.”

”Yes, but we expect him to expect us.” Yoruichi tells him confidently, and Grimmjow wasn’t sure if the woman actually had a plan or if she was just foolhardy.

It probably didn’t matter either way.

Grimmjow sighs and rubs his eyes, informing the hat wearing man that he had no clue how to do it.

”It’s actually rather simple; you do what you usually do when searching for an elemental’s aura. Except now you focus more on the details, as no aura is the same, and likely you know Ichigo’s intimately by now.”

Grimmjow had no fucking clue if the pun was intended.

The way it made the pineapple’s face twist in annoyance was amusing, though.

 

 

After that meeting with hatter and friends, Grimmjow had remained in his room, just sitting on the bed and focusing. The bastard had claimed this shit would be easy, but it wasn’t; while his reach was pretty wide, it obviously wasn’t wide enough, and even then, he had no clue if he actually could recognize Kurosaki’s aura from all the other fire-elementals that were likely to pop up.

He sighs and rubs his eyes frustrated, just as Nelliel steps in and closes the door softly behind her.

Urahara had given her a cane for now to ease her walking as she was still relatively weak in the knees, but Grimmjow could bet his left arm she would not need that anymore soon.

”How are you?”

Nelliel asks gently as she sits down beside him.

”Fuckin’ peachy. How the fuck can that bastard assume I can pull some miracle like that outta my ass? My reach ain’t THAT huge.”

Grimmjow grumbles, gaining a slight, amused smile from her. It was different from others though; normally such an expression would have prompted him to sock the person in the jaw for mocking him, but Nelliel’s smile was more akin to Ichigo’s - or worse, his ma’s - fondness.

”I don’t think he expects you to do it right away, given you’ve never done it before.”

” **Why** does this lot even trust ME to fucking do it? I’m a  criminal for fuck’s sake!”

Grimmjow huffs, brushing trough his hair and leaning his head back against the wall, closing his eyes for a moment.

”They seem to trust you, because you care about Ichigo as much as them.”

Grimmjow snorts, opening his eyes to glare at the ceiling.

”Care? Yeah, right. Ya should know NOBODY should want me ta ’care’ fer them.”

Nelliel lifts eyebrow at that, and for a moment, Grimmjow remains silent.

”My brain always twists it into somethin’ wicked. Makes me _obsessive_ over shit, ta the point I do stupid things if it’s taken away from me.”

He turns his head away, not wanting to look at Nelliel in the eyes.

”....Anybody would get upset if something dear to them is taken away from them.” The woman reminds him gently, thinking about Tia in her mind; she could only imagine the pain and horror she’d gone trough after what had happened to her.

”Not everybody goes and _murders_ people over it.”

Grimmjow tells her bitterly, still refusing to look at her. He almost jumps as a hand lands on his shoulder, and he turns to look at Nelliel, who was giving him a stern, painfully motherly look right now. Why the fuck did this woman have to be like this?

WHY did she have to remind his ma?

”Inability to control your volatile temper and obsessiveness are two different things. You were... unwell, both physically and mentally back then. The boy I met then is not the same as the man that sits in front of me now.” She tells him firmly, gaining a snort from the blunet.

”How the hell am I different now?”

Nelliel smiles at him, almost teasingly now, though it still had that comforting undertone to it.

”You’re in love.”

Grimmjow goes quiet, and his body tenses almost instantly. He just keeps his gaze away from her, not wanting to look at the hazel brown eyes examining him.

”Love? Cut that bullshit. All that’s going on in my beehive brain is some sorta obsession its developed fer Kurosaki, that all.”

He comments dismissively, rubbing his neck while still keeping his gaze away from her. Nelliel’s smile fades a little, as her expression turns sad.

”Oh Grimm... _of course_ you’d see it like that.”

Her gentle, sad tone was so achingly similar to how his mum used to talk to Grimmjow when the little brat version of him had been upset over accidentally burning something with his power, that the man couldn’t stop himself from finally looking at her.

”You’ve never _been_ in love, so given all your other experiences, it’s only natural of you to assume its something bad and wrong, what you are feeling right now.”

Nelliel sighs with a sad smile, grasping his hand gently.

He wanted to be angry.

He wanted to be pissed at her for tugging at his heartstrings by being so much like his ma, for acting so understanding and sweet despite all the shit he’d done. She had no reason to be this nice to him, hell, he could have done something to STOP Nnoitra back then, he hadn’t. That should be a reason enough for her to not give a shit about him anymore. Yet, she did.

Grimmjow just _couldn’t_ bring himself to be angry.

The first time in his life, there was not a fiber, not a stray spark of rogue lightning in him that would normally drive him into fury.

So he just gazed at her quietly, his eyes drifting down at the hand she was holding.

”Your emotions are not a bad thing, Grimmjow; you just need to learn how to _control_ your reactions when something bad happens; how not to let your instinct and anger take over.”

She lifts her gaze, locking her hazel eyes with his blue ones.

”Don’t be afraid of the happiness you can get when loving someone, just because you fear what might happen to them, or what you might do then. These things happen in life, they are part of it; we just need to learn to cope with them and keep moving.”

She casts her gaze back down, another sad smile dancing on her lips.

”You have been...unlucky in this regard, but don’t give up now; based on what I’ve been told about this Ichigo, he is not someone that is going to leave you behind that easily. He’s a fighter.”

Grimmjow almost wanted to snort; that much he knew as well, he’d literally fought the fucker the first time they met.

”Give yourself a chance. You like to think yourself as a monster due to your past actions, but its not what you are now, is it? You're trying, and in my eyes, you've learned a lot already.”

The blunet gazes at her for a moment, then turns his head away, curling up a little and mingling his hands into his hair, hiding his face a little. He had not had the urge to cry for years, but _damn_ it was close right now.

Her words hit him hard, probably because he knew she was right.

He’d just never wanted to face this, because it was easier to pretend you didn’t care, you didn’t _deserve_ to care, than to deal with all the emotional turmoil these emotions caused.

Especially, when you were a fucking lightning elemental.

Every goddamn emotion was ten times worse than with a normal person, or at least it felt like it.

For a moment, they just sat there silent, with Nelliel holding her hand gently on his shoulder as the man gathered his bearings.

 

_”....Why the fuck you never told me that sooner?”_

 

He finally manages to mutter out, his voice dangerously shaky.

”You wouldn’t have been ready to hear it, or listen.” Nelliel tells him truthfully, and she could hear Grimmjow’s breath hitch, before the man goes tense and quiet again, clearly holding back tears now.

It was strange for Grimmjow to cry, but Nelliel was happy to see it, because in her eyes, it meant he was finally capable of actually dealing with his feelings, instead of hiding them behind the facade of insanity and violent anger.

Her hand slips at his back and she gently rubs it, the touch soothing and reminiscent of what his mother used to do.

”It’s okay. Just get it out of your system, and then we can focus on saving your Ichigo.”

She tells him with a smile, gaining a slight amused chuckle from the man, though his voice was still shaky.

”You might not wanna say that in front of the pineapple bastard; he’s gonna flip his shit.”

Nelliel just giggles at that, telling him half-heartedly she’d keep that in mind.

 

 

 

 

Ulquiorra was pacing back and forth in his room, that strange feeling in his chest not settling one bit.

Ever since Aizen had declared his intent to kill Grimmjow, he’d been stuck with this unpleasant sensation. He had felt it before granted, during the whole incident from over a year ago, but it had not been this bad. Aizen had never _directly_ stated his intent to end Grimmjow’s life back then.

The raven haired male sighs and sits down on his couch, rubbing his eyes.

His mind drifts back to the ginger he’d brought to containment, and he couldn’t help that spike of jealousy from appearing again, except this time it was worse. This whole situation could have been avoided, had Kurosaki never existed. Had he not been there, Aizen would have never had a reason to go after the blunet.

Ulquiorra shakes his head, knowing full well those bitter thoughts were factually incorrect; Grimmjow had been his first and foremost test-subject, Kurosaki had just happened to help him move the project along.

He just couldn’t help the slight disdain he felt towards the ginger.

Seeing Grimmjow be ...protective over him like what he’d witnessed when Nnoitra had him had raided the cabin, let alone the gentleness the man had displayed towards Kurosaki back when Ulquiorra had initially brought them there to safety for a brief time, it hurt in a way Ulquiorra couldn't comprehend.

He had merely done it in hopes that Grimmjow would soon drop Kurosaki off back to his friends and remove himself from the situation, but that hadn’t happened, and now the raven man was torn between his duty for Aizen, and his unrequited feelings for the blunet.

His shadows materialized around the lamp at the corner of the room and eventually crushed it to bits, reflecting on his emotional state that was unseen on his stoic face.

**_Why?_ **

Out of all the people in this world, why did _Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez_ have to make him experience all these unpleasant sensations?

Ulquiorra had known nearly from the moment when they’d been kids, when Grimmjow had indirectly told his friends to stop making him uncomfortable with their comments and curiosity, that he’d be unable to get him off his mind.

He’d began following the blunet around, just because he felt more at ease near him, knowing he would not bother the highly introverted boy with a barrage of questions.

It had not helped the situation at all, when Grimmjow had ended up watching after him in a sense, after that kidnapping incident. A reluctant friendship had formed between them, even if Grimmjow had always refused to admit it.

And now...Ulquiorra felt like the blunet hated him.

Hated him for siding with Aizen, for being his loyal subordinate, and now taking his... _lover_ away from him.

Ulquiorra grasps his chest as the ache there gets worse, and he briefly wonders if he was just getting sick somehow.

He’d heard stories that emotional pain could feel as sharp and awful as physical injuries, but he’d never thought it to be true. Now however, it seemed that those people knew what they were talking about. He sighs and leans back in his chair, hoping the aching would subside eventually.

 

 

 

 

He wasn’t sure how long he had been trying, but it sure as hell felt like forever.

After that admittedly encouraging speech from Nelliel, Grimmjow had focused twice as hard to try and widen his range, to find that one needle in a haystack.

It was really taking a lot of effort from him, and his head was hurting from the way he grit his teeth together, but Grimmjow was not going to give up.

He was gonna _find_ Kurosaki’s sorry ass and make him pay for the bullshit he was putting Grimmjow trough right now.

He could hear some distant talking, likely Nelliel speaking with Tia quietly, as they were also in the room. The green haired woman had insisted on staying there while Grimmjow attempted to perform a fucking miracle, wanting to make sure he didn’t strain himself too much.

The natural consequence was that Harribel would be there too, not that Grimmjow cared much.

Everything around him felt distant, as all he could really feel was countless of auras from all around him, each of them slightly different.

_Elementals._

Once you did a wide sweep like this, it was kind of surprising to see just how many there were, weak and strong. As he examined the closest two to him, Grimmjow began to understand what Urahara had meant with each aura being different from one another.

He also suddenly got why the man had said these things had _songs_ or some shit like that.

Each elemental aura was... humming, in a way, that did sound like someone was humming a song.

They all sounded different.

Nelliel’s one was kind of upbeat at times, like it had a higher-pitch chorus on it.

Harribel’s was more one-note, very stable and calm.

For Grimmjow’s slight surprise, he could even hear his own now; as expected, it sounded kind of chaotic, but in this weird, purposeful manner, like some really heavy, fast-phased rock song or so.

He takes in a deep breath and focuses more.

So every aura had their own song huh?

He couldn’t stop but wonder what Kurosaki’s would be like.

Perhaps... the mad hatter had said that his and Kurosaki’s auras were similar somehow, so perhaps that meant Ichigo’s aura had a similar beat to it.

”Oi, mind ta shut up for a moment?”

He tells the two women without opening his eyes, and they grow quiet, looking at him confused.

Grimmjow focuses, as he listens closely.

 

...............................................................

 

There.

 

He could hear it, a song with a similar beat to his, although it sounded less chaotic.

It _had_ to be Kurosaki.

Grimmjow focuses more on it, and soon enough, he could tell this aura indeed belonged to a fire-elemental.

As crazy as it was, he could instantly tell that flaming aura was Ichigo’s.

Urahara was right, he did know it intimately, Grimmjow hadn’t just realized it yet.

He frowns, attempting to pinpoint just where exactly this aura was currently. Grimmjow could also spot familiar presences somewhere nearby, such as Nnoitra - his elemental halo had a SHIT music taste by the way, it sounded like somebody was banging the plates of a drum-kit off-beat like a heavy metal-solo gone wrong - and Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra’s one was very quiet and kind of depressing to listen to, which didn’t surprise him one bit.

For some reason, he could also pick up something else from the man; Ulquiorra didn’t seem to be too peachy right now for some reason.

He didn’t really have time or interest in wondering what that was, not when the obnoxiously mighty light elemental pops into his radar, making Grimmjow want to wrung someone’s neck.

Aizen’s ’song’ sounded about as smug and dramatic as one would expect, like a whole chorus of trumpets and other, low booming sounds. The sound rang in his ears for a long time, making it sound like a howling, beached whale whining about its situation.

Somehow that thought amused Grimmjow, and a slight smirk appears on his lips, making the two women look at him even more confused.

Eventually, Grimmjow opens his eyes, and the two women look at him questioningly.

He just nods.

”I know where he is.”

 

 

Ichigo was sitting on the mattress provided for him in the tightly locked white room, curled up against the corner, when he felt the prickling on his skin.

Ichigo looks at his hand, seeing a tiny, blue spark jump from one finger to another.

Grimmjow knew where he was, and he was coming.

The ginger had no way of warning him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THREE MORE TO GO  
> boiii  
> There's gonna be quite a few things happening in the last three.  
> Ichi-Berry's rescue isn't the only thing Grimmjow has to deal with; he's got some unfinished business with certain someone.  
> Aizen too of course.


	18. planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team plans for Ichigo's rescue, and Grimmjow finds he's been stalked for years by someone.

It turned out, that the place Grimmjow had located was familiar to him after all; he’d been in that place once, when Aizen had requested him and Nnoitra to run an errand for his ally, the old man named Barragan.

The house initially looked like just some fancy-pants mansion in the mountains, but had a whole secret facility hidden within it, carved into the mountain itself.

Of course, the name Barragan was familiar too to the Guard; he was in fact the governor ruling over most of Hueco Mundo and the surrounding areas. There had always been rumors and suspicion of criminal connections with the old man, but nothing could ever be proven.

Sucked for him, Grimmjow had found ’im out now.

”It is bound to be heavily guarded, and if we do this the wrong way, it can cause some serious conflict, staining the Guard’s reputation.”

The short woman comments with a deep frown as she examines the map about the area Urahara had somehow pulled out of his ass.

Not literally, but you get the point.

”Who the fuck cares about that? The longer ya guys twiddle yer thumbs, the more likely it is fer Kurosaki to kick the bucket.”

Grimmjow tells her impatiently, gaining a slight disapproving frown from the woman.

”If you are implying we are not doing everything we can to...”

”Because you’re not.”

Grimmjow cuts her off abruptly with a chilly tone.

Rukia was about to protest, but Urahara holds his hand up and coughs, gaining their attention.

”I understand your frustration, but Kuchiki-san has a point. We cannot go there guns blazing without a warrant.”

”Maybe _you_ can’t.”

The blunet points out with a snort.

Urahara’s lips twist into an amused smile, and he nods, hiding his face with his fan like a mischievous child plotting something.

”Indeed. Our priority right now is getting Ichigo out of there. Which means we need some sort of distraction so one of us can sneak there and snatch him up.”

”...I am guessing the Guard should serve as the distraction then.”

Rukia comments, quickly guessing the man’s train of thought. She however knew there was a hitch in the plan.

”I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d know to expect him.”

Urahara hums and nods, fully aware of this.

”That is why my ability will come in handy. In fact, my plan on using the ability requires Jeagerjaquez-san to be one to go.”

”Why though? If you can teleport stuff and people wherever you wish, it doesn’t have to be him.”

Renji points out with a frown, clearly miffed about the idea of having the blunet rescue Ichigo by himself.

”While it’s true Kisuke can technically speaking teleport things and people anywhere in the world, he needs to KNOW the place beforehand where he is going, or have the person he is teleporting know it.”

Yoruichi explains simply, and an understanding hum from the blond woman turns everyone’s attention to the two sitting on the bench near the wall. Nelliel was asleep, head leaning against Harribel’s shoulder as she was exhausted, and the blond woman was looking up at Kisuke with her usual stoic expression.

”Out of everyone gathered here, Grimmjow is the only one who knows that place and has been in there.”

Renji’s eyes widen slightly, and the blunet shrugs, hands in his pockets.

”Yeah. I was there once. We had ta wait ’round for the old man for a bit so I did take a look around, though couldn’t go absolutely everywhere given all the damn guards around. Didn’t trust a known volatile lightning metahuman to be walkin’ around the house.”

A slight dark grin appears on his face for a second, but it vanishes quickly as more serious frown replaces it.

”From the places I do know, you’d need a damn good distraction to not have people there. Plus the security system is top notch.”

Urahara nods and turns his attention back to the map about the mansion and the surrounding areas.

”One distraction is not quite enough; we need his forces spread thin so you’ll have a better chance at sneaking around. Luckily Yoruichi’s unit has dug up some useful Intel that can help us with that.”

Urahara turns to look at the tan skinned woman, who smirks a bit, before turning to explain.

”Barragan has his dirty hands in a lot of places, so we’re planning on doing quite a few raids the next evening; we don’t have warrants for his house, but others places are fair game. It’s gonna direct his attention away from his own house for a bit.”

”Don’t mean he’s gonna lessen the security necessarily, the bastard’s old but he ain’t dumb.”

Grimmjow points out dryly, knowing full well this so-called plan could go sideways very easily.

”It’s not a problem if you act quickly; my ability can be of help here, I just need you to guide me.”

The blunet looks at the hat-wearing man baffled, and Urahara puts down his fan with a serious look in his eyes.

”I can create you a special ’pathway’ where you linger in between their space-time. Similar way how this cabin is hidden and connected to other places.”

”I got a _damn_ good reason to suspect yer ability is shit in this regard.”

Grimmjow snorts, looking at the man pointedly; despite his claims, Ulquiorra and that bastard Nnoitra had found them.

”I was surprised about it myself, although...I may know how it was done. That raven haired friend of yours is the key.”

Grimmjow felt his eye twitch upon hearing those words, and his stare could have burned a hole trough anyone’s skull.

”Ulquiorra’s _NOT_.....”

He bites his lip and looks aside, seething quietly.

Rukia and Renji look at him confused, and even Yoruichi seemed slightly puzzled by his reaction. She had full on expected the denial from the man, but it seemed like he actually wasn’t able to do so, not entirely. it was peculiar, and intriguing.

”I don’t _like_ ’im, alright?”

The man finally comments gruffly, avoiding Urahara’s slightly amused gaze.

”Regardless. He seems to like you, based on my observations and Intel from over the years, and the fact he brought you and Kurosaki-san to safety briefly. Given he is of an unique elemental type, he might have been able to track you by using your shadow.”

Grimmjow blinks and shifts uncomfortably upon hearing that.

”I have heard that shadow-elementals are able to find specific people no matter where they are, as long as they cast a shadow; granted it is not automatic if you want it to be this accurate, you have to, how to say it, place a ’marker’ on them.”

Yeah, Grimmjow was aware of that, he’d just never thought Ulquiorra would have ACTUALLY put that kinda trick on him. The gloomy-eyes’ obsessiveness over him was getting creepier by the day.

”Wait, won’t that mean that he’s been listening to us this whole time?” Renji asks alarmed, but Urahara reassures him.

”I discovered this ’tracker’ while treating his injuries and decided to remove it.”

”What kind of thing is this tracker exactly?”

The raven haired girl questions in turn, her face in a deep frown.

”Elemental residue. The fucker basically put a piece of his shadow into mine.”

The woman was clearly surprised to hear _Grimmjow_ of all people knowing the answer to her question. The man just snorts and rolls his eyes, informing her he’d seen Ulquiorra do it in the past, and that he wasn't a dumbass contrary to an apparent popular belief. The man made sure to look at the pineapple at the word "dumbass" gaining a predictable scowl from the man, who however chooses to not make a big deal over it for once.

”Still, that kinda stuff is freaky.” Renji comments without thinking, gaining a ’no shit’ look from Grimmjow.

”The residue was quite old, it might’ve been within you for years, which might explain why it seemed to not be as strong as one could usually expect from such an ability; the older the marker, the worse the ’signal’ so to say.”

Urahara comments suddenly with a slight, almost wry smirk.

Grimmjow kind of wanted to punch him in the face, which was nothing new. However, moving past the clear amusement in the man’s expression that pissed Grimmjow the hell off, the actual words finally registered, and he frowns.

”Wait... **years?** ”

”I think...I sensed that too, back then already when you came to Aizen.”

Nelliel’s soft voice catches their attention, and everybody turns to look at her now. She looked sleepy still, but clearly had been listening to their conversation for a while.

”Ulquiorra might have put that marker in you ever since you were kids.”

Grimmjow just stares at her, not knowing what to say.

His aura was prickling dangerously around him, making Renji and Rukia back away a little, just in case the man decided to turn hostile and break something.

_”That fucking little...”_

Blue sparks leave his body, burning to floor beneath him, one spark passing so close by Rukia that her hair stood to an end, and she backed away further. Everybody around him turns cautious, unnerved by the intense, furious look in the man’s eyes.

Grimmjow was shaking lightly with anger, but instead of making a mess there, he turns on his heels and marches away for a bit to cool off.

For a moment everybody remains quiet, not knowing how to react.

”......I am guessing he and this person we were discussing about don’t get along?”

Nelliel shakes her head with a sigh, making Rukia look at her.

”It’s...complicated.”

She states simply, glancing after Grimmjow.

”....We were still supposed to discuss the plan, but I suppose it’s better for him to calm down first.” Urahara concludes after a moment, gaining a slight nod from Yoruichi, who still looked after the man with a frown.

”Didn’t know this was a sore topic; he never came off as somebody who cared much for others of his rank.”

Nelliel hums, but says nothing to that.

 

 

 

Rukia watched the man pace around outside, at times destroying something with a lightning bolt, clearly still seething with some sort of anger and irritation. Strangely enough, it did not come off as terrifying as his usual anger; there was a peculiar lack of murderous intent behind his outburst, but rather he seemed like somebody who’d just found out their friend or a family member had done something extremely stupid or wrong.

Frustration yes, but no intent to kill.

”They’ve known each other since they were children.”

Rukia turns to look at Nel, who sits down beside her on to the table.

”Him and this Ulquiorra?”

The green haired woman nods, brushing trough her wavy locks with a sigh as she gazes at the man pacing around outside.

”He’s always had a ...peculiar relationship with Cifer. He never counted him as a friend, but I think Grimm _does_ care about him.”

Rukia hums, glancing at the man before looking back at her, slightly curious now. However, she also knew it was none of her business; Nelliel didn’t really have to tell her anything about it, and she lets her know that. The woman just shakes her head with a smile.

”You don’t seem like the kind of person who’d gossip about things like this. Plus I can tell you want to understand him.”

”I want to understand why Ichigo is in love with him, so getting to know him better might perhaps help with that.”

Nelliel laughs a bit, figuring she had a point.

”It’s...kind of a long story. To my understanding, he once saved Ulquiorra from being kidnapped when they were children, and ever since sort of, I guess one could say ’shared’ his company with Ulquiorra, who was a lonely child. He never really played with him or anything, nor did he invite him to join his group of friends, but he was there, keeping Cifer company if he needed it. Grimmjow also made sure other kids would not bother him about his peculiar nature and abilities.”

Rukia lifts eyebrow at that; it did not sound like the man she knew at all.

”He...changed a lot from how he used to be thanks to his elemental drawback, according to late Shawlong.”

Nelliel comments with a quiet, somber tone, her gaze falling to her lap.

She was such a sweet woman, and Rukia could tell why Harribel loved her dearly.

Rukia could even see why Grimmjow was able to be kinder towards her much easier than he would be with others. Which made her wonder why someone like her had even joined Aizen in the first place. The brunet clearly had a very powerful charm to him, which was likely one of the reasons why he was regarded as highly dangerous.

”It doesn’t seem like he likes this person much anymore, given his reaction.”

Nelliel hums, brushing trough her hair again, then rubbing her eyes bit. Rukia tells her that she could go rest if she felt tired, but the woman shakes her head, telling her she was fine.

”It’s not that black and white, Kuchiki-san.”

”You can just call me Rukia.”

The woman smiles and nods, before her expression turns more serious again.

”Grimmjow does care for Ulquiorra as I said; the reason why he doesn’t like admitting it is because... I suppose he thinks Cifer would **misunderstand** him.”

”Misunderstand?”

Nelliel looks up at Grimmjow again, who’d just sat down to the ground now, the area around him full of burn-marks and scorched patches of grass.

”Ulquiorra is in love with him, has been ever since they met. He is also... a bit _clueless_ about how emotions work, so he tends to see things in very extreme light, at least when it comes to feelings. I suppose Grimm believes if he’d ever admit to Ulquiorra that he cares for him, he’d interpret it as meaning he _returns_ Ulquiorra’s affection, which isn’t true per say.”

Nelliel sighs and brushes her hair with a sad smile.

"Grimmjow does care, but he doesn't love him, nor is attracted to him in any way."

Rukia hums at that, contemplating on the new information she’d received. She had no experience of such, but she had seen cases like this; a person hopelessly in love with someone who cannot return their feelings. It was truly an awkward and uncomfortable situation for both parties, especially if the person unable to return the love aimed for them still cared for the other at least in a friend level.

She also began to understand what it was that Ichigo saw that they didn’t.

”It really sounds like he used to be a good kid.”

Nelliel smiles a bit and nods, though it was still a sadder smile.

”I never got to see it fully; I only saw glimpses and heard the stories from Shawlong. That was why I was so happy to hear about this thing with Kurosaki Ichigo, because I could tell his old self had started to come back.”

Nelliel pauses, then looks at Rukia apologetic.

”I suppose you wouldn’t see it the same way...”

Rukia shakes her head with a reassuring smile.

”I generally trust my friend’s judgment to be honest. Jeagerjaquez is still bit of a temperamental jackass, but I can now see what it is in him that attracts Ichigo to him.”

”That is a relief to hear, honestly.”

Nelliel tells her truthfully, making the short woman shake her head. If anything, it was only a good thing that Ichigo’s instinct was proving to be correct again.

Still though....

”I hope he stops sulking soon enough though; we really need to discuss the plan trough properly before we can take action.”

”He’ll come around, Grimm won’t waste too much time when something he cares for is on the line.”

Rukia lifts eyebrow at that, pointing out that she seemed to know him well despite apparently not being there for his childhood. The woman just smiles and tells her she’d always had a good instinct with people.

 

 

 

Eventually Grimmjow cools off enough to listen in to the rest of the plan, after making sure about three or four times that he was no longer being tracked by Ulquiorra.

Each time Urahara patiently told him he’d removed it, though how exactly he did so, the man didn’t explain.

Grimmjow had already gotten a bit of a loopy scientist vibe from the guy anyway, so he didn’t bother trying to get any further answers on it.

Instead, he focused his irritation and unease over the uncertainty of their plan.

”So let me get this straight; you want to use the Guard as a distraction, while I sneak in to Barragan’s house under the guise of your weird ass space-time ability, and I have only a limited amount of time to find Kurosaki and bring him outta there before it wears off? Do you fucker have ANY idea how bloody _**big**_ the place is?”

Urahara did not seem concerned about his skepticism at all, just nods slightly.

”I have a fairly good reason to believe that there is some sort of laboratory hidden in that mansion, likely in the lower levels below ground. All you need to do is find your way in, and Kurosaki-san is likely in there.”

”Not to mention, you can pretty much track him down with your skill.” Yoruichi adds in to the conversation, gaining a snort from Grimmjow.

”Yeah, but my ability can be fooled; who’s to say they haven’t put him in some room now where I cannot sense his aura from.”

”Geez, didn’t take you for a pessimist, Jeagerjaquez.”

”I’m a _realist,_ woman. Ya two are either delusional or hopelessly gullible.”

Grimmjow tells the woman dryly, gaining a slight snicker from her.

What was with these two and their confidence?

It felt a little like they were underestimating the old man and Aizen badly, or they knew something he didn’t, which was annoying because it made him feel like he was being used again.

”This plan does feel a little risky, given it relies on your ability and the perfect timing. Can you even focus long enough to keep him disguised?”

Rukia comments, and holy fuck, SOMEBODY had some common sense in this room, and Grimmjow hated the fact he wasn’t even surprised to see it was Kuchiki again.

”Oh, I am not doing it by myself, I just activate it; it is... sort of like that tracking ability Jeagerjaquez-san had in his shadow. I can attach a piece of my energy into him for a limited time. It wards off quicker given the heavily different nature when compared to a shadow elemental.”

Well then, this guy clearly was some sort of crazy elemental genius; Grimmjow was kind of surprised he was just some doctor working in a hospital last time he checked.

Then again, it was clear this guy had a lot of secrets, hell if he knew what his actual job was.

Honestly, he shouldn’t care that much anyway.

”Still though; he is bound to face heavy security, and while Jeagerjaquez is strong...”

Rukia glances at him, as if contemplating whenever she should say her next words or not. The man huffs and beats her to it. He'd grown tired to care about being evasive of this fact anyway, it wasn't like it mattered now. His pride and ego could go fuck itself for now. 

”Some of ’em _are_ stronger than me, yes. So what?”

Urahara hums again, but still did not seem concerned.

It pissed Grimmjow the hell off, but he knew getting pissy at these people trying to help him - these people who cared for the stubborn ginger bastard long before he did - would be a shit idea.

So, he swallows his anger for now, hoping that the hat wearing weirdo actually had some sort of secret plan he wasn’t telling them about.

”That is why the timing is important; once you get inside there, you must locate Ichigo as quickly as you can. Given how slippery you can be Jeagerjaquez, this shouldn’t be too hard.”

Yoruichi informs him with that same confidence plastered on her face, and the man almost wants to groan, certain that they either trusted in his skill a bit too much - something he’d be almost flattered about had this situation not been what it was - or they weren’t telling them everything, which was more likely, hopefully anyway.

”Of course we will equip you with a neutralizer to use against them; the ones we’re going to use are stronger than normal, so they should work even against metahumans above and on your level.”

Grimmjow says nothing to that, personally not liking to use those things after all the shit he had to go trough because of the pesky things.

”Kisuke will give you a rendezvous point where to bring Kurosaki; it is important we get him away and hidden asap, so Aizen won’t be able to do whatever he intended with him.”

”Do we even know what it is though? I mean, earlier in Rukongai there was some talk about elementals sharing power or whatever...”

Renji glances at the blunet uncertain, and Grimmjow shrugs, not having that much of a clue either, other than the general idea he’d already mentioned.

”It is not of your concern, Abarai-san. We must focus on rescuing Ichigo for now.”

Urahara reminds him calmly, gaining a miffed frown from the redhead. It seemed that Grimmjow wasn’t the only one getting the ’mad hatter isn’t telling us everything’ vibes. Just like him though, Renji chose not to question it.

 

 

The two young officers head out ahead, as they were going to join in on the raiding teams.

The redhead was clearly still not pleased with the fact Grimmjow would be the one going to try and snatch Ichigo back, but Urahara was insistent on the blunet going alone. It was slightly fishy, everything about this damn plan was, but Grimmjow was honestly glad he wouldn’t have to try and drag an extra person with him, especially somebody who clearly would rather punch him in the face than cooperate with him.

The feeling was mutual too.

He was standing on the room he’d shared with Kurosaki, staring out of the window.

His body was tense much to Grimmjow’s frustration.

He wasn’t scared by any means, but his instincts just kept telling him this plan was a bad idea, perhaps because he wasn't being told everything. He should have been used to that by now, but given he hated the guts of the last person who hid shit from him like this, it left a foul taste in his mouth, even if the hatter was adamantly a better person than Aizen.

The bigger question and unease in his mind however, was the feeling he’d end up coming face-to-face with Ulquiorra when going there.

He... didn’t really know what he was gonna do if - or rather, _when_ \- that happened.

Grimmjow turns his gaze downwards, bringing a hand up and watching his electricity dance and spark around his palm, noting it still had tiny flickers of white flames attached to it.

There was an internal conflict in his mind, on top of everything else Grimmjow had to deal with right now; worrying over Kurosaki’s sorry ass was enough of a drag, but after finding out about that ’marker’ thing in his shadow...

The man huffs as he turns his gaze back outside, towards the setting sun.

He knew for a fact that once he went there, he’d end up facing Ulquiorra one way or another. Life was a bitch towards him like that usually.

What he’d do in that moment could likely determine a lot of things for the future.

The problem was, Grimmjow wasn’t sure _what_ he should do.

Killing the creepy ass weirdo would be the easiest solution, as the hopeless lapdog would definitely try to stop him from saving Kurosaki.

It was just the absolutely **last** thing he wanted to do, much to his own dismay.

There was no fucking way he could TALK Ulquiorra out of it however, that much was obvious. He’d never been good with words, not when he had to be genuine about something.

”You seem tense.”

Grimmjow glances at Harribel who had entered the room now, probably checking on him per Nelliel’s request as she was feeling too weak to move around by herself at the moment.

”I’m about to head out to what I think is a doomed mission that can get me and Kurosaki killed, so yeah, excuse me if I don’t feel like sunshine and rainbows right now.”

Grimmjow comments, sarcasm dripping from him voice.

Harribel sighs at that, but the man could hear she was smiling under the high collar she often wore to cover half of her face.

”You’ve performed miracles before.”

”That overload survival thing? That was all Kurosaki, not me.”

”Not quite; as Urahara explained, you two needed to match for that to work, so you did have a hand in saving your own life, even if indirectly.”

Grimmjow just snorts, keeping his gaze firmly to the window.

”....I feel I should apologize.”

The blue eyes turn to look at her with baffled lift eyebrow.

”I always thought you were a lost cause; a monster Aizen had twisted beyond recognition from the once apparently kind boy you were. However, it seems I should have trusted Nelliel’s gut instinct more.” Harribel tells him calmly, leaning against the wall arms crossed.

Grimmjow wasn’t surprised to hear this; the blond had always been about as wary of him as most others. He didn’t really need the apology either, and it probably showed from his face, as Harribel chuckles a bit suddenly, looking at him like an amused parent almost.

”I suppose my words mean nothing to you, given you never cared for my opinion in the first place.”

”Way to state the obvious.”

Harribel smiles behind the collar of her shirt, but her usual seriousness appears back fairly quickly.

”I have to admit, I agree that this plan seems... flimsy. I am certain Aizen is there as well, and you going there... it might be a trap.”

Grimmjow snorts, glaring at her irritated.

”Of course it’s a damn trap! But it’s not like I got a choice, I’m not...”

He snaps his mouth closed and turns away with a curse, not wanting to state what he thought out loud.

He didn’t have to, for Harribel could read it from his face.

Grimmjow places a fist against the cool glass of the window, glaring outside with a stormy expression on his face. This whole plan was stupid, he was stupid for going along with it, but damn it all to hell, he was NOT gonna abandon Kurosaki, not after the stubborn fool had so openly handed his heart over to him.

For once in his life, he wanted to keep it safe, not destroy it.

 

 

 

He was tense as one could expect, but ready.

The hat wearing man spends few more moments talking in the phone, likely organizing the other parts of their plan. Eventually he closes the phone, and walks to the blunet. They were the last ones in the house, as Yoruichi had left to join in on her part of the mission, and Nel and Harribel had also been brought elsewhere for now. Urahara was holding a small device in his hand, it looked sort of like some sort of black wristwatch, except it clearly wasn’t a time-showing device at all.

”I have loaded this invention of mine with my elemental energy. You should first try to get as close as possible to the mansion, before I teleport you in to a location of your choosing. Once there, activate it, and it gives you around an hour to find Ichigo.”

”That don’t sound like a lot.”

Grimmjow points out dryly as he grasps the device, putting it on his wrist.

”It might feel so, but remember that time has slowed for you, so one hour can easily feel like several. Because of this, keep an eye on the timer on it; you may end up losing track of how long you have left.”

Grimmjow glances at the small screen and nods; he was not exactly interested in popping into visibility in the middle of that place, surrounded by tons of enemies and folk he knew could potentially be a pain to deal with.

The only pain in the ass he as willing to tolerate was Kurosaki.

”Once you are in proper position, wait for the signal so you can prepare yourself for the trip, as it might be a little nausea inducing.”

Grimmjow rolls his eyes, not surprised about that one bit.

”We’d prefer for you two to get out without a fight.”

”Yeah yeah, so would I, but don’t be too surprised if this shitty plan of yours goes sideways.”

Grimmjow informs the man, who just hums, examining the blunet from behind his fan. It felt like he wanted to say something, but chose to stay quiet after a moment, sighing softly.

The blunet lifts eyebrow at him, but says nothing either; he did not have time to waste on pondering what the hell the mad hatter was hiding from him now. Grimmjow steps outside, noting it was now completely dark as night had fallen.

”We are roughly mid-way between Rukongai and Hueco Mundo. Head northwest to reach Barragan’s villa, but be careful to not be noticed.”

Urahara informs him, gaining another snort. Grimmjow knew this area well, he knew exactly where to go without the damn blond telling him.

”Good luck.”

Grimmjow disappears in a flash of blue light, leaving Urahara standing there alone on the proch of his house, fan still covering his face. This whole operation was risky, but Urahara hoped his calculations would prove correct.

Aizen was unpredictable, but the same time he was predictable in his unpredictability.

It was a concept hard for most to understand, but Urahara could wrap his head around it perfectly. He was a fellow scientist after all and had worked with the man in the past, knowing how he thought and how consumed he was by his own egoistical nature. The man sighs, digging out his phone and checking the message he’d received from his contact.

Their next steps would be crucial on whenever this plan succeeded or failed.

_”He is on his way there now; I certainly hope everything is prepared on your side.”_

A moment later, he gets a response.

_**”Don’t ya worry; the kitty cat will be fine.”** _

Urahara couldn’t stop but find the silver haired man’s nickname amusing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew.  
> FInally was able to post a chapter.  
> You wouldn't believe how busy I have been, almost zero time to anything BUT school.   
> So yeah, last chapters will probably be longer and more action packed.   
> I might have to extend this to twenty one chapters, as I'd prefer having a more of a calm epilogue to finish this off, but we will see.  
> Also  
> I kinda want to write a GrimmShiro fic too now  
> The chemistry there is different and would be a nice change I think.  
> Plus I keep imagining Shiro as an overly affectionate kitty-cat, clinging to the big cat's leg and rubbing his cheek on it, just because.  
> I don't even know anymore (;w;)


	19. resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grimmjow sets the record straight with Ulquiorra.  
> Ichigo attempts to flee, and gains surprising aid, though he isn't sure if it can be trusted

Barragan was in the middle of his teatime and a round of chess with one of Aizen’s subordinates he’d taken a liking to - even if the pale man was not exactly the best conversational partner - when one of his own underlings rushed in, informing the old man of the ongoing heist.

”They have already seized the clubhouse we used as an underground gambling hall, and several other storage sites for our goods have been compromised!”

Barragan frowns with a grunt, not liking what he was hearing. The underling was acutely aware of how his boss reacted to such news, as he quickly backs away when the older man stands up, glaring down at him.

”And why are you bringing this Intel to me NOW and not sooner?!”

”Be-because we only just received the message. They acted swiftly.”

”Who is the perpetrator?”

”The Guard, there were elemental officers involved to my understanding.”

The man stutters out, taking further steps back as the old man inches closer. However, as another presence appears into the room, he stops and turns his glare towards the calm brunet.

”Is this _your_ doing? Planning on backstabbing me, Aizen?”

The elderly male growls at him, but the light elemental was not phased the slightest.

”No. This is not my doing, but I believe it might merely be a distraction.”

_”Distraction?”_

”There is... something that I am keeping here they likely want to get their hands on. This heist is simply a distraction so they can sneak in and snatch it.”

The old man frowns, glancing at the raven haired male who was watching them both quietly now. While the boy was mostly unreadable, even the older male could tell the young one had a knowledge of the thing Aizen was talking about.

”Does this relate to the fiery haired brat you brought here?”

Aizen’s eyes flash slightly with a level of disdain; he did not like the man’s condescending tone.

Barragan had no idea about the significance of that ’brat’ when it come to his ultimate goal. He kept his composure as usual however, nodding slightly.

”Yes, he is a key component regarding to my research.”

The old man snorts, crossing his arms.

”So you brought him here so somebody else would do the dirty work for you of keeping him out of their reach, because you couldn't do it by yourself earlier.”

Ulquiorra could tell his leader was mildly insulted, but once again chose not to comment on Barragan’s words.

”Oh no. You do not have to worry of that at all; in fact I happen to know whom they shall send to get him, and given the sneaky little thief will be one of my former subordinates, I’ll be dealing with it.”

The old man looks at him skeptic, knowing full well this young arrogant fool was not telling him everything.

”Why should I trust anything you say? To my understanding, you were supposed to keep a lot of my businesses under wrap with this cooperation. Business that is now being raided by the guard.”

Barragan takes several, marching steps towards Aizen, but unlike most, the brunet doesn’t cover in fear, merely holds that same, calm smile that the old man had grown to despise so much.

”Do not worry. The ones they managed to find are not the most important ones. Rest are trapped, which should throw this little farce of theirs into quite bit of chaos.”

After those words, Aizen turns his attention to Ulquiorra, walking towards him and completely disregarding the master of the house, much to Barragan’s dismay.

”Ulquiorra. I need you to be prepared once he shows up. We’ll need both of their essences to finish my project.”

He tells the raven haired man calmly, who just nods submissively as usual.

”I shall make haste on the matters right now.” He responds with his usual stoic tone and gets up, walking calmly past his superior and the old man, who follows his every step outside the room.

He was aware that Cifer had some unusual elemental powers, but he did not know exactly what they were.

”Mind to at least tell me what kind of fool is trying to penetrate my fortress?”

Barragan questions Aizen, who had sat down on the seat Ulquiorra had previously occupied on, pouring him a cup of tea. He takes a sip, savoring the flavor quietly for a moment before replying to the old man’s question.

”Jeagerjaquez.”

The old man stares at him for a moment, then his expression shifts into that of fury, and the man walks to the table, slamming his hand flat against the wooden surface.

” **Have you gone mad?!** Did that brat not almost wipe out your entire force over a year ago?!”

Aizen takes another sip and stirs his tea, gesturing the old man to sit down.

With an annoyed grunt, Barragan slumps back to his armchair, facing Aizen.

”Back then he was momentarily stronger due to his elemental state. I can assure you it was just a minor inconvenience, and he is no longer the same kind of unstoppable beast he was.”

”Power or not, that rascal is feisty and unpredictable. I remember when he and that tall kid of yours helped me with a task. The mess he made was hard to clear up.”

Aizen just chuckles at that, clearly not bothered by his ally’s annoyance.

”I know that. However I also know he has become softer lately thanks to his connection with Kurosaki Ichigo. He’s made himself vulnerable.”

Even Barragan was a little unnerved by the slightly dark grin on Aizen’s face right now. After a moment of silence, he is able to speak again.

”So, what should I do then? I assume you have a plan.”

”Do what you likely initially intended; handle the matters regarding to your own business, I’ll deal with my subjects.”

Barragan nods after a moment, noting the mad glint in the light elemental’s eyes.

 

 

 

Grimmjow did not like waiting around; the fortress-like mansion of Barragan was within his sights, but he was not allowed to go just yet. His instincts were screaming at him to just charge in through the front door, but the blunet knew that would be beyond stupid. Just because Barragan’s forces likely were spread thin, he could bet his left arm that some of his former colleagues were waiting for him there.

A slight, angry grin appeared on his face as he thought of Nnoitra.

He was going to wipe the floor with that bastard and _enjoy_ it.

His sharp blue eyes and elemental senses could pick up lot of activity around the mansion, though most of it seemed to be heading away from it, likely to go and deal with the heist-situation at hand.

So far there was nobody anywhere near the spot he was in, which was good.

Then again, he had deliberately chosen this hard-to-access cliff edge, as nobody would expect anyone to come through there.

He had an advantage in getting into difficult places thanks to his teleportation ability. It also helped the weather was shitty so if anyone saw his blue light, they’d likely mistake it for thunder.

Still though, he did not enjoy crouched down there, hood tugged over his head while rainwater soaked his clothes. It was uncomfortable as fuck.

After few more seconds - that felt like hours - the device in his wrist beeps, indicating it was time.

Urahara had already tested the connection once before during his journey there, catching him off guard. The bastard had not been kidding; his time-space teleportation was really nauseating, giving even the strongest of people vertigo. He’d spat at the man about it, but the fucker had just snickered silently at him, clearly thinking his annoyance was funny.

Grimmjow made a mental note to punch the fucker in the face the next time he saw him.

If he did survive this shit-show of a plan, that was.

Another beep, meaning he had twenty seconds to gather his thoughts and focus.

Grimmjow sighs irritated and closes his eyes, calming his breath and focusing on the spot he wanted to go as Urahara had instructed him after Grimmjow’s initial annoyance with the mad hatter had worn off.

Soon, he felt the world sort of twist around him, and like last time, it sort of felt like he was on a boat, the ground twisting and bending underneath him. The rain stopped abruptly, and for a moment he heard nothing but his own heartbeat.

Once his blue eyes opened again, he knew he shouldn’t be surprised, but he was regardless; he was in that small side-room near the door that led to the main lounge.

He had seen it when walking past the spot back then - Grimmjow had no fucking clue how he was able to recall such an insignificant detail, to which Urahara had theorized it had something to do with his elemental ability and its effects on his brain and his recent perfecting of the less destructive techniques, and he’d pretty much zoned out after that - and figured it would in all likeness be empty of people, given it seemed to serve as a storage of sorts.

He had been right again, it was void of occupants, but he knew there had to have been a camera somewhere.

With a quick electric aura search, he was able to locate all three, noting that Urahara had landed him onto a blind spot for all three, in a shadowy corner. Huh, so the bastard was able to map out a lot about a room he was sending people into in a matter of nanoseconds. Or maybe it was minutes for him, given he could twist time around him, hell if he knew. Grimmjow turns his attention to the device Urahara had given him.

Based on what the mad hatter had told him, it should turn him invisible by slowing down time around him.

Grimmjow was highly skeptic of this, but he had no choice likely.

With a sigh, he pushes the button to activate the weird device.

A small, silent wave of energy shot out of it radially, and Grimmjow suddenly realized he could see individual dust particles floating unnaturally slowly in the air. The distant noises he had been able to hear had also quieted down, and as he glanced at the nearest camera, he noted it no longer rotated that fast like it normally would, not that it was a quick movement in the first place. After a second of hesitation he steps out of his hiding spot and heads for the door.

For a brief second he wonders how the hell he’d be able to open it given the damn thing was likely frozen in place for him too, but as he touches the door, the sluggish feeling that surrounded his environment disappears, and the door is pushed open like nothing was wrong, the movement slowing only once the crack was wide enough to let him slip through it.

The corridor was empty, which was a bit surprising - and suspicious - given how close to the main lounge this place was.

However, Grimmjow knew he had no time to ponder this, and heads to the opposite direction from the said lounge, knowing the laboratory was likely in the opposite direction. Using his senses to guide him, Grimmjow was able to pick up several presences nearby.

Mostly human, some weaker level elementals.

The man frowns as he realizes that he wasn’t really able to sense any powerful ones around, which was odd; he was certain any of those bastards was likely around, given he COULD sense Aizen’s aura from somewhere behind him.

It was tempting; to go and stab the bastard to death while he was unaware of Grimmjow’s presence but such a cowardly move was not really his style.

Besides, getting Kurosaki’s sorry ass out of here was more important.

He’d get his revenge later.

As Grimmjow widens his search range, he suddenly realizes there was a massive blank spot in his ’mental map’ or so. Which likely meant, that blank space was where the laboratory was. It only made sense to coat it so no elemental could sense it from the outside. Too bad for Aizen the lack of anything was even bigger of a clue. Stealthily, the blunet heads towards the cold spot he could sense.

 

 

 

Ichigo had tried to get out a couple of times at this point, but the room was clearly elemental proof, which wasn’t surprising.

Aizen would not risk putting him in a place he could easily escape from. He slid to the floor with a sigh after his tenth attempt at busting out, completely exhausted. Aizen’s words kept repeating in his brain over and over, and he felt cold dread creep up his mind. He wanted to warn Grimmjow, to tell him to stay away, but Ichigo knew he had no way of doing that.

With a frustrated groan, he gets up and strikes at the door again with a now white fireball. Ever since he’d been put in here, Ichigo had been using these more powerful flames to hopefully try and get out of this place.

It didn’t matter how intensely they burned, given they were technically made of elemental residue and not actual fire, he just couldn’t melt the walls or otherwise break the door.

Ichigo was about to throw another fireball at the white surface, when the door suddenly shifts open.

Upon seeing the ball of flame on Ichigo’s hand, the newcomer quickly stumbles back and holds his hands up.

”Don’ hit me wid that please! I came here ta help!”

Ichigo’s eyes widen as he slowly recognizes the silver haired man.

”...You’re... _Gin_ , right?”

He’d seen the man a couple of times within the guard, though they worked under different sections so he’d never spoken to him.

However... he was fairly certain that he had seen the man somewhere, as in, somewhere within his hazy memories.

Ichigo lowers his flame slightly, but stares at Gin with a suspicious frown, as the man sneaks in to the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

”Why are you in here?”

”T’s a long story, doubt we got that much time ta chat right now.”

Ichigo steels his gaze further and Gin backs away, holding his hands up as the flame is raised again.

”You...I remember you. You came to visit me that evening, said your section had found some Intel on Aizen you wanted to share with me.”

Ichigo’s tone was half accusatory, half questioning.

The silver haired man nods slightly, clearly a bit uneasy, as if expecting Ichigo to recall something important.

”I wasn’t lyin’ ta ya Y’ know. I just wasn’t going ta actually tell ya anything at that moment.”

A second later, Ichigo suddenly moves forward, grasping the man by the throat with an angry snarl. His brown eyes were wide, as memories began to cascade back into his consciousness, clearing rest of the haze in his head.

”It was **_you!_** You were the one that knocked me out and brought me to that pink haired bastard!”

”My, Grimm-kun has really rubbed off on ya, hasn’t he?”

Gin chuckles nervously, managing to pry Ichigo’s shaking hand off him, rubbing his throat.

The skin looked slightly burned, and part of Ichigo felt a little bad about it; Gin was right, this was something Grimmjow did, not him, but he couldn’t help it right now.

”I thought you worked for the guard!”

”I did, sorta, like I said it’s a long story and we don’t have that much time ta dwell in this. Just trust me that m’ on yer side.”

Ichigo grasps his collar this time, forcing Gin against the wall. He could feel a bit of electricity enter his flames now, almost if some piece of Grimmjow’s energy had entered his body and was now aiding his own.

” ** _You_** were the actual rat; telling Aizen about our every move while we were busting our asses off trying to stop that lunatic! You must’ve told Szayel about our whereabouts too back then!”

”I didn’t got a choice, Aizen’d be suspicious of me if I hadn’t said anythin’ ta him ’bout it. I knew yer buddies were headin’ there too, and Grimm-kun is strong so I figured it’d be alright!”

Gin explains defensively, and for a moment Ichigo just glares at him.

It was rare to see Gin with his eyes open, but his gaze was unwavering from Ichigo’s brown orbs, either indicating he was telling the truth, or was an excellent liar. Given he’d been able to hide right under the guard’s nose, latter was more likely.

It didn’t matter either way right now.

”Alright then.” He lets go of Gin, but holds his flame ready, watching his every move.

”If you really came here to help, prove it.”

The silver haired man looks flustered for a second, but then opens the door, gesturing him to follow. They both step out into the hallway and Ichigo watches Gin closely as they walk across it. There were no people in sight, which was surprising. Surprising, and suspicious.

”Where is everyone?”

”Ah, ta old man’s places were raided by ta guard; most are out dealing wid ta issue. I told 'em guards 'round here ta go out there an' deal wid that 'cause it was not like this place could be accessed from ta outside without the old man knowing - or so he likes ta think.”

Ichigo frowns at that; it was too big to be a coincidence, something was going on.

”Yer buddies arranged this heist thing ta divert attention.”

Gin voices out his thoughts, stopping in front of a door and turning to face him.

Ichigo eyes the man carefully, noting the nervous aura that had surrounded him previously had now vanished completely.

”M’not gonna lie, I cannot promise ya can get outta here even wid my help. Been followin’ ’im around enough ta know he’s one devious mind. Back when he asked me ta arrange your pick-up, I thought he just wanted ta question ya about the details of the investigation. Never thought he’d trap ya that long.”

There was a hint of genuine apology in the man’s tone, but Ichigo wasn’t buying it.

”Even if that would’ve been case, then he would have just killed me sooner, wouldn’t he?”

Ichigo tells him coldly, and the silver haired man rubs his head with a sheepish smile, figuring the ginger had a point.

”Why are you even doing this, why help me now?”

Before Gin could respond, the door behind him slides open suddenly, and the silver haired man turns to face the tall metal-elemental, who was about as stunned to see Gin as Gin was to see him. The lanky figure even had a fucking smoothie in his hand he’d been casually sipping, making his sudden appearance slightly comical.

However, there was nothing funny in the situation once he spots Ichigo, still holding a flame up.

With one swift motion, Nnoitra disregards his smoothie and summons a metal spear into his arm, showing Gin aside.

”Ya tryna escape, huh? Smart move forcing Gin ta show ya the way, he’s weak like that.”

The silver haired male frowns, clearly disapproving of Nnoitra’s comment, but before he could say anything, the tall man charges at Ichigo, who quickly throws a flame directly at Nnoitra.

It stops the man on his tracks as he brings his arms up to shield himself from the blast, clearly quite surprised how powerful it was, as the attack actually forces him back a bit.

”Fucking hell; that stung almost as much as his. There’s gotta be somethin’ in this whole energy mixing shit Aizen keeps yapping about.”

Nnoitra comments with an amused smirk, noting how his sleeves had almost completely burned off now.

Ichigo doesn’t give the man time to further marvel at this discovery, as he moves forward swiftly and kicks him in the gut with a fire covered leg, actually catching the man off-guard and sending him fly across the corridor, trough the open door, crashing on the floor almost at the other end of the hallway.

Gin had quickly dodged out of the way as it happened, and was now scrambling off from the floor, looking at the smoking figure quite surprised.

”Where’s the way out?!” Ichigo demands from him, making the man jump, and he glances between Ichigo, and Nnoitra who was trying to scramble up from the floor, clearly pissy right now.

”There’s another at the other end; turn left on the first section and then right.” Gin tells him quietly, glancing towards Nnoitra who didn't really hear their interaction right now, as his ears rang from the impact.

Ichigo just nods and sprints away, knowing he didn’t really have time to stay and fight with the tall man, and it seemed having Gin lead him there would blow his 'cover' or whatever was going on with him right now.

He wasn’t even sure if he’d be strong enough to deal with him, given Grimmjow had struggled greatly, weakened or not.

He could hear the furious growl behind him, figuring Nnoitra had started chasing him. Luckily, fire elementals were naturally faster than metallic types.

 

 

Grimmjow had just reached the laboratory, when he’d suddenly felt a familiar burst of energy from somewhere within. It was Kurosaki, and he was fighting somebody. It became pretty clear who it was that was apparently chasing him; that bastard Nnoitra.

The blunet glances at the device on his wrist, noting he still had plenty of time according to it.

He had passed by a couple of people on the way, and as expected, none of them had apparently seen him, though some seemed to be slowly turning their heads after him, as if sensing something had passed by or so. Grimmjow heads towards the elemental aura, passing by a couple of scientists lifting their heads slowly, probably to look into the direction of the sounds.

Eventually, he spots a familiar patch of orange.

Kurosaki was running towards him in slow motion, dodging metallic rods suspended in mid air.

Grimmjow almost wanted to snort; it seemed like Nnoitra had forgotten Aizen still needed Ichigo alive for now.

He takes a moment on pondering what he should do.

It would be really fucking easy to walk to the tall bastard and kick his teeth in for the bullshit he pulled, but given Nnoitra was technically defenseless against him thanks to the time-slowing aspect, it would be dirty.

Grimmjow glances at his device; he knew Urahara had told him not to shut it down while in here, just go, get Kurosaki, return back to the spot you’d been teleported in from, and get out.

However... his temperament just wouldn’t allow the man to do that, not when he could pay Nnoitra back for his bullshit.

Both for nearly killing him... and Nel.

A mad grin appears to his face, and Grimmjow walks past fleeing Kurosaki, brushing his hand on the orange hair as he did so.

At that moment, Ichigo was also included under the device’s influence, and he stumbles to the ground, staring up at the blunet who had seemingly appeared out of blue.

_”Grimm...”_

Ichigo soon realizes that everything around them was strange.

The metallic spears that had been heading towards him fast were suspended in mid air now, and Grimmjow was walking towards them, hands in his pockets like everything was normal.

”Grimm...Grimmjow! You shouldn’t be here, it’s a trap!”

Ichigo finally finds his voice, unable to hide his relief upon seeing the blunet. The man just snorts, then grabs one of the spears, diverting the released momentum by swinging around and striking it to the floor.

”No shit.”

He grunts as he looks up at Ichigo, tugging the spear off the floor and turning to stare at Nnoitra, whose face was slowly twisting into a shock, which wasn’t surprising; he’d just witnessed his prey disappearing into thin air, as well as one of his weapons.

”What is going on?”

”Mad hatter gave me a trinket ta slow time.”

Grimmjow explains gruffly as Ichigo tugs himself off the floor, walking closer to Nnoitra.

He was now just few feet away from the bastard, eying the man with a stoic look, though Ichigo could sense there was a hint of blood thirst in him.

”Grimm...”

Before he could even finish that sentence, the blunet suddenly grabs the tall male, thus dragging him into the ’bubble’ they were in.

Given it was sudden, the blunet is able to smash the bastard to the ground with ease, before striking Nnoitra’s own metallic weapon trough his shoulder, making the man groan in pain. He’d used such force the damned thing had gone clean TROUGH the bastard’s shoulder, quickly dying his clothing and ground beneath red with blood.

”Yo.”

Grimmjow’s smirk was near manic, and it gave Ichigo chills; he could not recall ever seeing the man this mad and bloodthirsty, not even back then.

Even Nnoitra seemed slightly taken aback by the furious scowl aimed at him, but he quickly pushes it aside and snarls at Grimmjow, attempting to throw the man off him.

Before he could however, Grimmjow releases a powerful bolt of lightning, this time able to pierce trough the protective layer of metal-clad skin thanks to the metallic rod jolting out of the man’s body.

Nnoitra spasms and twitches under him, before coughing out smoke and blood, slumping to the ground unconscious.

”T’was fer Nel.”

The blunet comments bluntly, and gets up, not bothering to tug off the rod from the man’s body.

It would keep him pinned in case he woke up.

Plus, the fucker would just die quicker if he took the thing out, as the blood loss would be significant. As much as he hated Nnoitra’s guts, he felt reluctant to kill the guy. There were doctors around, once he released the bastard from the bubble, he’d be found soon.

If someone was to give him his reckoning, it should be Nelliel.

Grimmjow turns his attention to Ichigo, who was clearly struggling between a slew of emotions right now. He was clearly unnerved by the swift, sudden display of violent aggression that Grimmjow had been mostly avoiding recently, and for a moment the blunet wonders if he’d screwed up and made the bastard panic again.

However, the slightly fearful look is shaken away, replaced by the more fitting scowl.

”You went overboard; you could have just pulled me into this... whatever this is and gone out.”

”Woulda been boring.”

Grimmjow comments with a shrug, stuffing his slightly bloodied hand into his pocket, grasping the ginger’s jaw with the other.

Ichigo did not have much in him to resist the kiss, but he still scowled at the man as they parted.

”This is crazy! Aizen wants to kill you, you shouldn’t be here.”

Grimmjow snorts again and rolls his eyes, then notices something rather peculiar.

"The fuck are you wearing that for?" He asks, gesturing to the jacket Ichigo had on. He could recognize his own shit pretty easily. The ginger glances at it and his gaze drifts aside as slight sheepish smile appears on his face, alongside a hint of redness on his cheeks.

"I...since I only had a bathrobe on when they brought me here, they provided me with some other clothing, and this happened to be with them..."

Grimmjow had a feeling there was more to the story than that, but it didn't matter either way; Kurosaki wearing his old jacket was honestly kind of adorable, even if he associated the damn thing with a lot of bullshit. The man rolls his eyes as a reply, walking past Ichigo towards the direction he’d come from, and the ginger followed him swiftly, figuring slipping too far behind would expose him from the time bubble they apparently were in.

”Tell me somethin’ new.”

”He said something about developing some sort of trick to sort of steal an elemental’s powers and turn it into a super serum or so.”

The blue eyes glance at him as they pass by a slow-mo running scientists, heading to the direction they’d heard the battle sounds from earlier.

”Aizen believes he can complete it by using a combination of ours. Extracting an elemental aura is deadly.”

Ichigo tells him seriously, grasping the strong shoulder as if wanting to shake him for his recklessness or so. Grimmjow was a little surprised to hear this, but the same time, Aizen was always full of his science mumbo-jumbo.

Him being able to come up with something like that wasn’t exactly surprising.

”It don’t matter. All we gotta do is practically walk to the exit now; my timer’s got plenty of it still.”

Grimmjow shows him the device on his wrist, and it did indeed show that only five minutes had passed since its activation, even if it felt longer.

”I wonder if this is supposedly so easy, why did Urahara give you an _hour_.”

Ichigo mutters out, and Grimmjow gives him a pointed look.

”Ya doubting me suddenly?”

Ichigo sighs and shakes his head, making them stop briefly as he grasps both of his shoulders now, looking at the man with his warm brown eyes.

Perhaps it was his adrenaline rush from earlier, but Kurosaki’s gaze was even more intense than usual.

” _Never._ But I  don’t want you to get hurt because of me, not again.”

Grimmjow was about to tell him to quit that bullshit, when suddenly, he picks up a presence nearby them moving abnormally fast.

The next thing he knew, shadows engulfed them both, and he was thrown against a wall - or a door, as it gave away behind him - skidding to the floor. He could faintly hear Ichigo yell after him, but most he could hear was the ringing in his ears.

A few seconds later, the blunet manages to clear his head enough to see what was going on; he was in one of the empty rooms of the lab, one where Aizen liked to keep disobedient test subjects.

It was coated in shadows and he could see a familiar pale face stare at him from within them.

Grimmjow almost wanted to snarl, but he couldn’t find his voice.

”It seems Aizen was correct in assuming that man would aid you.”

Ulquiorra’s voice was as quiet as ever, and he points at the now broken device on his wrist.

”...Lemme guess, is this something similar to how ya were able ta enter the cottage?”

The blunet mutters out as he gets off the floor, noting that the shadows kept their distance from him. He was surrounded, but he could feel an air of reluctance in the room.

”....Yes. That man was able to remove most of my tracker, but a wisp still remained. I can enter any space there is as long as there is a shadow in there.”

Ulquiorra informs him with his monotone voice, stepping out from the shadows. He looked the same as last time they saw, the same white clothing, same droopy look on his face. The only difference was, that for once his eyes _weren’t_ void of emotion, even if the fucker was trying to hide it.

”Where’s Ichigo?”

Ulquiorra frowns slightly, clearly displeased about the mention of that name.

”Outside. Now that he is exposed again, he’ll be recaptured soon enough.”

”And what makes ya so sure?”

Grimmjow snarls at the raven haired male, who seems a bit...uneasy?

There was clearly some sort of internal conflict going on in him, and Grimmjow **_hated_** the fact he knew exactly what it was.

”You may have taken Nnoitra out for now, but Starrk-san is still here, alongside Szayel, and Barragan has elementals of his own.”

Grimmjow snorts at that; he wasn’t too worried about Szayel at this point, and Barragan’s elementals were likely weaker than either of them. Starrk was a question mark, because while he was powerful as all hell, he wasn’t exactly into hurting people. In fact, Grimmjow had heard rumors he was working for Aizen out of blackmail or sorts, hell if he knew.

Something about a sick daughter or so.

Typical Aizen if it was true.

”So, why throw me in here with ya? I doubt yer here just for a chat.”

Grimmjow comments dryly, knowing full well what the bastard was trying. Ulquiorra was an obedient, loyal lapdog of Aizen, but he wasn’t exactly comfortable with taking lives. Hence he usually worked more on Intel side or as an ’escort,’ which in layman's terms meant he kidnapped people for Aizen’s other goons to interrogate.

Bloodshed was not something he craved, and it was clearly even harder now, when he was supposed to kill somebody he still cared for.

”....I figured it would be more merciful so that Kurosaki didn’t have to see this.”

Ulquiorra finally replies and lifts his hand, his shadows instantly enveloping the blunet into their hold. Grimmjow could feel their numbing effect as the shadows sucked his energy out of him. This time was different as it didn't really snuff out your will to fight, but rather tried to pull the energy itself out from his body. it was weird and hella uncomfortable.

However, their grasp was wavering, mirroring the owner’s mental state.

This feeling of your body being drained was likely terrifying to most, but Grimmjow found it hard to be afraid, knowing who was doing it, and being even more aware he didn't want to.

With a low growl, Grimmjow lets out a pulse of his elemental energy, not really knowing what made him decide to do that; it seemed to be an instinctive decision, which hey. worked with him just fine. He was an instinctive fucker anyway.

It carried nothing but light and his own will, no heat, no sparks, but it was enough to break the coils around him.

Ulquiorra is clearly taken by surprise, as he attempts to bind him again, his shadows wrapping around the blunet male tighter, forcing him to kneel.

”Try not to struggle so much, it will prolong your suffering.”

Grimmjow just lets out an amused laugh, and then growls again, as another, stronger wave of energy radiates out from him, shattering the inky coils surrounding his form and actually forcing the rest of the shadows back away towards their master. Grimmjow had a feeling his sudden level of resistance and slight immunity to Ulquiorra's trickery was because of Ichigo. Being fairly close to him again, their auras seemed to be interacting even if he couldn't see the ginger.

he could feel ichigo's flames around his own aura, guarding it and strengthening it in a way. He doubted Kurosaki did it consciously though.

He stands up slowly, blue eyes burning into the raven haired figure, whose eyes were so wide it was almost comical.

He’d been unsure on what he’d do once he’d end up facing Ulquiorra, but upon seeing the man’s current resolve, Grimmjow made up his mind.

It was about time to set the record straight.

A dark, maniacal grin spreads on his face, the kind he’d NEVER aimed at Ulquiorra before. It was the face normally reserved for his targets, and the pale figure was well aware of this, as his shadows rose up defensively around him.

”What’s the matter? I thought you were gonna kill me.”

Grimmjow taunts him with a purring tone, and with a frown, Ulquiorra sends a large wave of shadows at him, only for them to be pushed back by another pulse of blue energy. His body was radiating sparks and heat all over him, and the floor was getting few nice burn marks as well with each step he took.

”Ya ain’t very convincing right now. I’m not even using much of my power.”

Grimmjow chuckles, slowly pacing towards the pale figure, who was clearly backing away slightly now. Grimmjow could sense his heartbeat pick up, and it was clear the fucker was AFRAID, even if he didn’t necessarily understand the feeling himself.

As he takes another step closer, Ulquiorra suddenly lifts his hand up and the whole room is now engulfed in blackness, blocking Grimmjow’s vision altogether. He was not bothered by it, he knew this trick.

”Hidin’ like a coward ain’t gonna save yer sorry ass.”

Grimmjow cackles into the darkness, his voice sounding borderline crazy.

It was on purpose, but he sincerely doubted Ulquiorra would be able to tell the difference between his genuine mad snickers and faked ones.

A shadowy coil wraps around his arm suddenly, but Grimmjow just rips it off with a snort, the shadow disintegrating in his hand into a black mist. He swiftly sends a bolt of lightning at the direction it had come from.

It hit nothing but likely the wall, but that didn’t matter.

Ulquiorra was not a combatant; he was more prone in using psychological warfare, and Grimmjow knew this was exactly what he was doing right now, or trying anyway. if anything it felt a bit more like the bastard was stalling for time, trying to gather his resolve to do this, which the blunet was going to make sure he'd never be able to do.

Not just so he could save his own ass though.

”What? Ya think I’m scared of the dark or some shit? Please, if I was, I woulda not have stood yer sorry ass face.”

The man informs the darkness around him casually, and he could feel his surroundings flicker slightly. The disdain in his voice clearly bothered the caster of the darkness. More coils wrap around him, but he gets rid of them like before, getting slightly impatient.

”Come on out, yer boring me.”

Suddenly, a chill travels down his spine, and as Grimmjow turns, he sees a figure standing in the darkness.

His eyes widen as he recognizes the blond kid, gazing at him fearfully. He opens his mouth to speak, and blood starts dripping from between his cracked, lifeless lips.

_”....Why...did you...kill me...?”_

Grimmjow could feel the disgust and guilt tug at the back of his mind, but he shakes his head firmly, knowing Ulquiorra was trying to shake his resolve.

Fuck that.

”The brat _ain’t_ dead. The mad hatter gave me a whole run down on how that apparently happened, so quit trying this bullshit.”

Grimmjow snarls into the darkness, and the figure melts into the shadows, replaced by another.

His three friends. Broken and bleeding, looking at him accusingly.

_”You never really cared about us, did you?”_

Grimmjow feels a pang in his chest again, but it was quickly replaced by anger.

”If they _had_ been my proper friends, they woulda stopped me before I did something stupid!”

It hurt to say that, but he had always had this bitter feeling in his stomach that had his friends actually tried to reason with him on that day when it all went to shit, they could’ve stopped him from killing the human trio.

They never questioned anything he did, when they should have.

They hadn't been proper friends to him, just like _he_  hadn't been a proper friend to them.

The figures vanish into darkness, and Grimmjow was panting now, exhausted from the mental strain as he resisted the melancholic weight pressing down on his spirit.

”Come on. Ya can do better than trying to pull these cheap tricks on me.”

He growls into the dark, his electric aura sparking around him now.

Next vision was Shawlong, sitting on a bench like he had on that day.

Ulquiorra was really trying to piss him off right now it seemed. The only thing he couldn't pull out of his ass was a vision of his momma, because Ulquiorra had no clue how she looked like.

_”I always thought sending you to Aizen was a bad idea, you’re too unstable.”_

The ghostly voice speaks to him, his tone regretful.

”We both knew it. What’s done is done.”

Grimmjow tells to the ghostly figure sternly, his voice slightly solemn. The old man sighs sadly, and gets up, pacing towards the blue figure. He was slightly flickering and transparent, like Ulquiorra’s visions often were, but for a brief moment, Grimmjow could almost believe his mentor and father figure was _actually_ there.

Shawlong stops in front of him, his gaze as warm and parental as it always had been towards the blunet.

_”I wish things would have been different. You could’ve achieved a lot.”_

The ghost sighs, gaining a shrug from Grimmjow.

”Being a gigantic douche-bag is an achievement on itself.”

Damn, it was... hard not to act like he usually would with the old man, even if he knew... even if Grimmjow _knew_ this was just a ghost.

Shawlong turns quiet for a moment, then chuckles a bit, like he always would when Grimmjow let a gem like that out of his mouth.

Damn, Ulquiorra’s vision game was on point.

Or perhaps, he also respected Shawlong too much to make the vision of him too morbid.

_”I cared for you deeply, boy. You know that right?”_

Grimmjow just nods, a stoic look on his face. His chest ached like crazy, but he had to remain focused.

The old man sighs with a sad smile appearing on his transparent features.

_”I miss you a lot. You were one of my favorites, honestly.”_

He reaches towards Grimmjow, who’d casted his eyes downward now upon hearing that admission.

Then, he suddenly grabs the figure’s hand, startling him.

For a moment, both figures were silent.

 

 

” _Really?_ Usin’ out caretaker’s face ta give out a confession before tryin’ ta kill me?”

 

 

He snarls at the figure, lifting his head to glare at him with intensely burning blue eyes.

 

**_”Cut the shit out, Ulquiorra.”_ **

 

The old man disappears, his features almost washing away like water, revealing the startled pale figure standing in front of Grimmjow, his pale wrist trapped in the firm grip of the blunet.

”Get this trough your thick skull. I. **DON’T** fucking like you!”

He snarls at the pale man, whose lips go into a tight line, as he manages to slip away, disappearing into the darkness again.

”I know you hate me.”

Came a shapeless voice moments later, as the shadows around him danced uneasily, reflecting on the fact Ulquiorra didn’t want to do this.

Grimmjow snorts and starts walking towards the voice, face in a deep frown.

Shadows quickly move to try and bind him, but he just pulses his energy again, forcing them off him.

The pale face appeared somewhere in the darkness, but Grimmjow ignored it.

He knew Ulquiorra was trying to confuse him, but he was currently not tracking the elemental aura.

No matter how hard one tried, the raven haired male _could not hide_ his anxious brain activity from Grimmjow right now.

Few second later he reaches out into the darkness, catching the pale figure by surprise, forcing him against a very solid wall by grasping his neck.

As Ulquiorra’s back hits the obstacle behind him, the shadows around them dissipate, revealing the room once again. He was grasping the strong arm holding him up against the wall, green eyes widened.

Normally, he would be able to shake Grimmjow off easily, bind him with his shadows or so.

However, his resolve was not there, he didn’t WANT to hurt Grimmjow, and the thing with metahumans was, their element responded to their emotional state.

Ulquiorra had no proper resolve to do the task given to him, whereas Grimmjow had plenty of will to do what he intended.

Thus, right now, the power-scale was tipped in the blunet's favor.

”Yeah, you really pissed me off with this latest bullshit; stealin’ my Kurosaki from me, trapping him in this damned place and now tryin’ ta _kill_ me.”

The blunet mutters out with a stoic expression, the lack of emotion probably more terrifying than any of his mad grins could be.

Ulquiorra just gazes at him, dropping his hands to his sides.

_He didn’t want to do this._

No matter how much his dutiful side told him he’d have to, or Aizen would be displeased, he just... couldn’t do it.

”You should not have come. Aizen doesn’t really need you to complete it. He just felt it would be faster when your elemental aura was included.”

Ulquiorra murmurs softly, closing his eyes with a slightly somber expression. Not the usual gloominess but genuine sadness and mental exhaustion.

”Ya know I can’t do that. I’m not gonna just leave ’im here.”

Ulquiorra sighs and nods, lifting his gaze to examine the blue eyes frowning at him.

Peculiarly enough, he did not spot anger in them right now.

 ”I know. Once you love something, you refuse to let go of them, not until either you or they perish.”

”Yeah. Which is why yer puttin’ me in a _shitty_ spot.”

The green eyes look at him confused, and Grimmjow releases his throat slowly, allowing the skinnier male to slide down back on his feet.

He places the hand beside Ulquiorra’s head instead, examining him with that same frown.

”I _ain’t_ gonna let anything stand in my way when it comes to getting Kurosaki outta here. That includes you.”

”I told you, I know you hate me.”

**_”For fuck’s sake!”_ **

Grimmjow suddenly spats at him, his sudden louder voice nearly startling the pale figure, as he stares up at the man glaring at him with widened eyes.

” **Stop** acting like you know jack shit about me! I’ve told this to you before!”

Ulquiorra remains silent, not knowing how to respond to such a statement.

Grimmjow sighs and rubs his eyes, bleeding some of his frustration away, before planting both hands beside the paler figure’s head, trapping him against the wall properly. It was making Ulquiorra slightly...uneasy for some reason, his heartbeat picking up pace as the blue orbs kept examining him quietly for a while.

”I _don’t_ like you. As in, I don’t like how ya always think you know what yer talking about, when you don’t.”

”I...”

”All the time you bitched at me over going overboard, it pissed me off; it’s like you didn’t even TRY to understand the shit I was going trough, and just kept nagging at me.”

”You were acting irresponsible...”

”I fucking KNOW THAT. I didn’t need ya to rub it in my face!”

Ulquiorra actually flinches as Grimmjow yells at him, but refuses to divert his gaze away.

He didn’t want to.

If the man was going to kill him, he might as well die having those eyes he adored so much be the last thing he saw.

”This whole bullshit thing ’bout tryin’ ta stop me in case I went berserk again, quit shitting me; ya weren’t really tracking us back then because you thought I was a threat. Ya just wanted to get me out of this mess before I’d end up getting myself killed.”

”I don’t see how any of this is relevant....”

He is silenced swiftly as Grimmjow grabs his hand, bringing it between them.

”I don’t NEED you to babysit me. My shit’s my own, and yer dumb as fuck, if you let it drag you down as well.”

Ulquiorra just gazes up at him speechless.

The hold on his hand was... firm but gentle, and Grimmjow had stopped yelling at him, his voice calm and quiet now.

”Yer obsessing _too much_ over me. If I screw up, it’s my bullshit to figure out, and whatever the outcome is, I stand behind it. Ya should not bother over it.”

”....How can I not?”

Ulquiorra finally admits quietly, casting his eyes to the floor.

A heavy weight of melancholia hit him, and he couldn’t stop himself from grasping the hand holding his with both of his own.

”I know it doesn’t matter to you, but I...”

He turns silent, unable to say the words.

”That’s why. I... could not bear watching you destroy yourself, but I didn’t know what to do.”

He mutters out, thumb caressing over the tanned knuckles.

”That’s why ya shouldn’t bother. I was a shitty friend to you, and don’t really deserve that care.”

Grimmjow huffs with a sigh, but doesn’t try to move away.

Ulquiorra pauses, glancing up at him.

”I...That’s not true. You always...watched after me, back then.”

”Yeah? Later on I pretty much spat at you every chance I could get.” Grimmjow snorts, shaking his head.

”It was your element doing it. Even I knew that.”

”Still. I let it fuck up my judgment. That’s on me.”

Ulquiorra remains quiet for a long moment, his mouth strangely dry right now. There was a question at the tip of his tongue, but he was too afraid to voice it out. Yes, what he felt was _definitely_ some form of fear.

”...What are you trying to say?”

He finally manages to get those words out anyway, and green eyes look up at the blue, anxiously waiting for his reply.

Grimmjow remains quiet for a moment. He knew he had to say this, had to make things clear to this pale dumbass once and for all, but it was still difficult to admit things like this to him.

 

”I .... _ **don’t**_ hate you. I _never_ did. I still don’t.”

He finally admits with a sigh, squeezing the hand he was holding.

The green eyes widen in confusion, but he was silenced by a glare before he could say anything.

” _Dislike_ an’ _hate_ are two different things, dumbass. You’ve seen me hate on someone, the way I act towards you is not even close to that. But, if you force me to do this, I  will hate you, and I’ll start hating myself even more than I already do.”

Ulquiorra just gazes at him, clearly in slight shock.

However, eventually he gathers his bearing and looks at the man questioningly.

Grimmjow sighs, letting go of his hand and grasping his shoulders now, shaking the pale figure lightly.

”Don’t. Don’t make me hurt you.”

Grimmjow states firmly but quietly, before taking in a deep breath.

This was something he should have said a long time ago already, but better late than never.

”I’ve lost enough people I care about as it is. _Don’t_ make me lose another friend, when it’s fucking clear you don’t wanna do this either. We’ve both been played by Aizen, we’re nothing more than pawns to him. I guess ya follow him like a puppy-dog because he acts like he cares for you and gives you the praise and positive attention ya crave, but it’s fake.”

Ulquiorra didn’t know what to say, he was too shocked to form words.

Grimmjow’s tone was borderline pleading now, something he’d never do normally, but it was clear as day for the pale man now, that the blunet was as reluctant to fight him as he was.

”Aizen don’t deserve yer loyalty, just like I don’t deserve your compassion, but fuck it, Kurosaki told me I cannot pick and choose when I receive it, when people want to... care. So for this one time, m’gonna roll with it.”

He lets go of Ulquiorra slowly and backs away, giving the man some room to breathe and process his words.

”Just let me get Kurosaki out of here, and get the hell out yourself. I’m a shitty ass friend, but 'm not gonna let you die a dogs death in this place, like our cat did in the hands of those bastards.”

Ulquiorra was surprised to hear Grummjow bring up the cat, let alone referring to Pantera as theirs, as usually he’d labeled it as Ulquiorra’s cat, despite the female feline clearly preferring him.

Ulquiorra remains quiet for a long moment, his mind reeling and processing the honest, borderline heartfelt words from the man.

It was not something Grimmjow would typically say, which meant he _had_ to be honest.

Grimmjow was not the type to play mind games, and it was clear he’d struggled in getting all of that out from his chest.

He'd finally admitted it though; that he did count Ulquiorra as one of his friends. 

 

Wordlessly, he steps out and away from the wall, inching closer to Grimmjow who just stood there, waiting.

Ulquiorra could tell if he’d decide to attack, the man was ready to deal with it. He was always ready for bloodshed, ready to deal with the consequences of those actions, he just hadn’t cared in the past.

Now he did, but he was still willing to face them.

Ulquiorra wasn’t.

Grimmjow says nothing as shaky hands reach for his hooded jacket, grasping it weakly, and the next second, the pale figure was hugging him, hiding his face against the blunet.

He could feel Ulquiorra shake, as he was trying to restrain the wave of emotion that had hit him, not knowing what to do with it. With a slight, annoyed sigh, he places a hand on top of Ulquiorra’s head, mingling his fingers into the raven locks gently.

”Just let it out alright? It feels like crap but ya need it to function as a proper human being.”

He tells him roughly, and could eventually feel something wet stain his shirt. Ulquiorra was not one to cry. He was not one to show any sort of emotion mostly, but at this exact moment, he did not feel the need to repress it.

Grimmjow was right, the stinging in his eyes and chest hurt, but there was something else mixed in, strange kind of happiness that didn’t make sense.

Perhaps it was relief, that Grimmjow did not hate him like he’d thought.

For a moment neither of them says nothing, as the last shadows around them disappear slowly. Eventually though, Grimmjow manages to push him off, noting that seeing Ulquiorra cry made him even gloomier looking, which was not a surprise.

”You gonna let me do my thing now?”

The raven haired man just gazes at him silently for a moment.

”It’s a trap; Aizen knew this whole time you’d be using the time distorting device to sneak around.”

Grimmjow wasn’t exactly surprised to hear this, but before he could comment, a loud noise and a familiar flare of elemental energy catches his attention.

_”What the hell?!”_

He could sense Ichigo was fighting someone somewhere, and that someone was...Nnoitra?

**How?**

Grimmjow could’ve sworn that injury was so bad it should have kept the damn bastard out of commission for a long while.

”Szayel must have healed his injury.”

Right, Grimmjow forgot all about the fact that the pink haired shithead was alive.

With a curse, he turns to head to the direction of the battle, when a pale hand grasps his wrist. Grimmjow whips around, ready to maul the pale figure if he had to, but Ulquiorra’s gaze diffuses the bloodlust almost instantly.

”I....let me help you this time.”

His voice was hesitant, as if he didn’t think Grimmjow would believe his intentions being genuine.

After a moment of silence, Grimmjow nods lightly.

 

 

 

 

The moment they had been separated, Ichigo found himself exposed to the sounds and voices of people in the facility, indicating time was flowing normally again.

The room Grimmjow had been thrown in was sealed by thick strands of shadowy material, not allowing him to enter. He could have perhaps burned trough those strands, but he had his feeling the door itself was elemental proof. The shadows were just extra precaution.

”Shit, what do I do?”

Ichigo looks around in slight panic, then sees a familiar figure heading his way. It was Gin, who stops nearby him, panting harshly.

”My, you’re slippery when you want to be. Then again that detail was established long ago.”

Ichigo just stares at the man, not knowing what the hell he was supposed to say right now.

”Oh dear, so Cifer-kun decided to take initiative after all?”

Gin hums curiously as he glances at the shadow-clad door. Ichigo grabs his collar at that second, demanding to know what was happening. Gin holds his hands up startled again, requesting him to calm down.

”Aizen likely knows Grimm-kun is here. He sent Ulquiorra to do the energy extraction process.”

”So he’s trying to kill Grimmjow?!”

Ichigo drops him and throws a fireball at the shadows, making them evaporate briefly before they appear back, blocking the door again.

”Calm down, I sincerely doubt Cifer-kun is able to do it. He adores Grimm-kun too much for it, even if he doesn’t wish to acknowledge it at times.” Gin seemed rather amused about the prospect, smiling rather slyly as he mentions this.

”I don’t give a horse-shit how HE feels about Grimmjow, I’m not letting that pale bastard hurt him!”

Ichigo couldn’t help it, his bitter, angry statement stemmed partially from jealousy, though it was still mainly worry over Grimmjow’s life.

”Stop, there’s no use fer ya ta throw those fireballs around, ya can’t get through.”

Gin tells him all calm again, and this switching back and forth between silly and stoic was freaky as hell.

”What am I supposed to do then?”

”There’s ’nother way in on the other side; I doubt Cifer-kun woulda remembered ta black that small ventilation exit that room has, as t’s rusty an normally dun open. ya should be able ta use it wid yer firepower. Imma make sure nobody comes 'round this area while ya go get yer boyfriend.”

 

Ichigo had no clue whenever he could trust Gin or not still, but he didn't have much time to ponder it; Ichigo nods after a moment, sprinting off, only to stop and realize he had no clue where to go.

He turns back to look at Gin, who was rightfully so face-palming at him, before pointing at the corridor that led to the right.

”T’s near the entrance ta the stairs that leads ta the main mansion.”

Ichigo just nods and turns again, heading to that direction. Most of the occupants of this area were likely where Nnoitra was kicking a fuss right now, so his path should be mostly clear.

Part of him still questioned why exactly Gin was there and helping him if he seemingly worked for Aizen, but his gut instinct told him the man was being truthful - for now.

Skidding past a corner, Ichigo turns sharply, heading towards the staircase far ahead, searching for the door Gin had spoken about.

He could hear commotion somewhere in the area, and he began to wonder if it all was really caused by Nnoitra alone. Shaking his head, knowing he didn’t have time to ponder this, Ichigo slows his pace as he finally reaches the likely door Gin was talking about.

However, as he grabs the handle, he notes it was locked. With an annoyed frown, Ichigo covers his hand with a burning hot, white flame, and is partially surprised to see it actually works, melting it and the door from around it, eventually opening the way.

Ichigo kicks the door in and looks around, noting the room looked sort of like an old office space that had not been used in a while. He looks trough the empty shelves and the desk, searching every inch of the walls with his heartbeat thundering in his ears.

Then, he spots it; a small, square shaped ventilation door that looked rusty as Gin had described.

He could also sense the shadowy energy of Ulquiorra coming from it. With a deep concerned frown, Ichigo walks to the doorway and swiftly melts it open, his flame burning so hot it didn’t even leave a tiny puddle on the floor. The space was tight, but he had crawled trough a smaller vent before, and this trip would be shorter.

However, before he could move, the lights in the room suddenly turned out, freezing him in place as he heard the door close behind him. Ichigo glances around in the darkness, but was unable to see anything. Yet, he could tell he wasn’t alone. The next second, a strong hand suddenly grasps his collar and throws him across the room, against the shelves, making them crash down thanks to the impact.

Ichigo looks around dazedly, then sees a tall figure tower over him.

There was still blood on his clothing, but for Ichigo’s surprise, the gnarly looking injury on the man’s shoulder from earlier was gone.

”Kinda sucks Cifer is the one that gets ta off him, but hey. I can mess with ya a bit before bringing ya ta Aizen. It ain’t like he needs you in one piece as long as yer alive.”

The lanky man snarls at him, kicking Ichigo hard in the head the next second, sending him stumble towards the door.

How the hell was Nnoitra’s injury gone like that?

As if guessing his thoughts, the tall male flashes him a toothy grin.

”Szayel’s got some special juices around fer situations like this!”

Ichigo quickly throws a fireball at Nnoitra’s face, making the man stumble back, jumping up and kicking him hard across the stomach, returning the favor as the bastard crashed trough several shelves. The room was relatively small so fighting in it wasn’t exactly easy, but he had no choice; Ichigo could not go and try to help Grimmjow when this guy was on his tail.

Glancing around, Ichigo tried to form a plan.

While he was aware of Nnoitra’s powers, he had not properly fought the bastard yet, and had no exact clue of his full power, aside from the detail that he was supposedly stronger than Grimmjow. The blunet had mentioned something about Nnoitra having this thin coating of metal all voer his body that pretty much protected him from all sorts of attacks, including lightning.

Despite that, Ichigo wasn’t exactly impressed, given how easily Grimm had taken him out earlier, though then again, the blunet had had a helping hand from Urahara.

The armor was a weakness too; if one got trough it, Nnoitra seemed to be surprisingly vulnerable.

”You fucker are really gonna get it now!”

Nnoitra hisses at him, and Ichigo watched in slight shock as the shelves around them began to float and break into pieces, eventually forming a liquid, metallic tornado whirling around them.

His escape was blocked now.

Ichigo frowns frustrated and ignites his body.

He’d been practicing this transformation a little, but it was still hard; he felt weird, sensing his form lose mass as it morphed into flames.

Nnoitra lets out a rage-fueled yell, and several spikes appear from the liquid metal walls around them, attempting to skewer Ichigo.

All of them just pass trough his form harmlessly.

_Yes!_

_He’d managed to pull it off!_

Maintaining this was a whole other ballgame.

Ichigo turns his attention to Nnoitra, who clearly understood what had just happened.

”Fuck, ya can already take a form?” He actually sounded fairly _impressed._

Ichigo didn’t give him much time to be awed as he flew towards the man, shoving him against his own liquid metal wall, aiming at a specific spot if his memory served him right. First step was to get out of this tiny room.

As excepted the whirl around them doesn’t hurt its master, but allows them both pass trough, and as he’d calculated, they crash right against the door, the weaker spot of the wall.

It breaks, and both men stumble out of the small room, with liquid metal spilling everywhere in the corridor, until it solidifies back into pieces of shelving, scattering all around them. Ichigo jumps back as a couple of those things fly towards him, attempting to whack him in the head, and the pieces shatter seconds before they hit Nnoitra who’d been beneath him.

_”You little...”_

Ichigo busts out a large flame, and it pushes the man back several feet, burning so hot it scorched the walls around them as well as the pieces of metal scattering about.

Once the flame dissipates, a sound is heard, and the next second, water starts pouring from the ceiling.

His actions had triggered the fire alarm it seemed.

Nnoitra was panting now, and Ichigo noted his skin looked...weird.

It wasn’t just the water running down his face and hair.

It looked almost if the man was melting.

Or perhaps it was just the thin metal coating that was melting, his invisible armor.

Now when Ichigo examined the man more closely, it seemed that while his injury was gone, the damage Grimmjow's lightning had done within his body likely wasn't healed yet, which meant it was harder for him to maintain his armor. Ichigo could bet the man's brain was still too hazy from the shock to focus properly - Ichigo knew how disorienting Grimmjow's attacks could be first-hand.

The flames died down slowly under the rainfall, except in Ichigo’s case; the amount of water from the sprinklers just would not be enough to turn out a fire elemental’s core flames, their burning body.

You’d need a much larger water-mass for that.

”There’s no point in ya trying ta save ’im. He’s already dead.”

Ichigo reaches his senses outward, attempting to feel what was happening in the room Grimmjow had been thrown in.

The shadows were blocking his senses, but Ichigo had a hunch he’d know if Grimmjow was dead, and the ginger was 100 percent sure he wasn’t.

”You should know by now that underestimating him isn’t exactly a smart move.”

Ichigo taunts the man, who slightly grasps his previously injured shoulder, glaring at Ichigo with a growl escaping from his mouth. He clearly didn’t like being reminded, just how easily somebody who was supposed to be below his rank, had almost taken him out.

”He was playing with cheap tricks! If I’d seen ’im coming I woulda have wan!”

Ichigo shrugs, then suddenly throws another blast of flames at Nnoitra, who brings up his hands to cover his face.

As the flames died down, Ichigo noted his skin now had slight burn marks on it, indicating that his protective layer was indeed failing. This reckless fool had clearly headed for action far too quickly for his own good.

”It’s called battle tactics. I suppose a brute like you wouldn’t get it.”

Nnoitra lets out a raged growl and summons a large, sharp spear, charging at Ichigo and clearly aiming for his heart now.

Apparently he’d forgotten all about Aizen needing the ginger alive.

Given the narrow corridor, Ichigo did not have much room to dodge despite the space being bigger than the previous room, and he was having hard time in staying in the flame form. So, he brings his hand up and manages to grasp the weapon aimed at him, his feet skidding on the floor as he holds back the impressive force behind it. His hands were bleeding now, as they were cut by the sharp edges on the metallic rod, but he ignores the sting and focuses, rising the temperature around him as fast as he could.

The rod began to melt, but it wasn’t the only thing that was happening; the water from before began to evaporate in the heat, clouding their vision with thick clouds of steam.

Nnoitra growls and pushes him further back, before summoning another spear and pointing it at Ichigo’s head.

The ginger quickly brings his other hand up to prevent the thing from piercing right trough his skull, but it was getting hard.

Nnoitra had such immense physical strength, and holding him back like this was taking its toll on him. His flames began to flicker as his body switched between solid and fiery, as maintaining that form had become hard now.

”Ya got firepower, but yer clearly far too inexperienced with this!”

Nnoitra laughs at him, then suddenly yanks his weapons back, forcing Ichigo to move forward as well, only to get a sharp kick to his gut, and he coughs, before flying all the way to the end of the corridor, crashing against the wall. He left a dark stain on it as his body burned the white surface, but that was about all he had left, as the flame form dissipates, leaving him vulnerable again.

Nnoitra quickly marches to him and grabs the ginger by the hair, pulling him forcefully off the floor.

”Aizen did say yer important ta be kept alive...”

He raises his spear, pointing it at Ichigo’s chest again.

”...But I reckon he can just use yer boyfriend’s elemental aura ta finish it. T’was clear ta me havin’ both of ya was a bonus.”

The brown eyes just glare at him, but Ichigo was still too disoriented from the harsh impact to bring up a flame to attack the man. He attempts to kick the bastard off him, but only hurt his leg in the process; while Nnoitra’s protective coating had partially dissolved, a lot of it was still there.

The man flashes him a toothy grin and prepares to strike the pointy thing right trough the ginger.

However, that’s when an arm grabs his wrist and yanks him off Ichigo with a snarl.

The ginger slides to the floor wide-eyed, staring up at the blue haired figure who stood in front of him, glaring down at Nnoitra as his energy sparked around him.

He wasn’t dead.

Ichigo had been right, he wasn’t dead!

He glances aside in confusion, finding Ulquiorra standing further away, looking at the situation with slight uncertainty.

Why was he there?

What had happened in that room?

”Aww, well aren’t ya a knight in shining armor. You’ve gotten soft, Jeagerjaquez!”

Nnoitra mocks the blunet, but Grimmjow just grunts, throwing a lightning bolt at him, aiming at the spot he’d struck before. The lanky male groans in pain and stumbles back, actually surprised that it worked.

”Yer little armor’s in a bad shape. Maybe ya shoulda stayed in the medic bay a bit longer, dumbass.”

He comments with a bloodthirsty grin, making Nnoitra snarl at him with anger.

”I’ll kill ya! Fuck what Aizen wants, m’gonna skewer both of ya!”

Before he could move however, Grimmjow suddenly appears in front of him and kicks him flying, making the tall figure crash against the ceiling, before falling back to the ground with a splat.

”I think it’s you who’s gotten weak, Nnoitra.”

Grimmjow snorts, seemingly not bothered by the intense glare aimed at him as Nnoitra tries to scramble off the floor.

That’s when he spots Ulquiorra.

” _What the hell are ya doing Cifer?!_ Ya were supposed ta take him out!”

The raven haired male remains quiet, just looking back at Nnoitra with a stoic look on his face.

Tsch, he should’ve known, the bastard’s crush was too strong.

”Whatever.”

He pushes himself up, wiping the blood off his face.

Grimmjow was completely unharmed, and it pissed him the hell off. Back when they used to work together it had only been a bonus that the lightning elemental was able to cause a lot of havoc without ending up getting cut or bruised even once, but now it just irritated him.

”Stop acting like ya got the upper hand! We both know m’stronger than ya!”

Grimmjow just tilts his head, a lazy grin on his face.

”I wasn’t the one who felt threatened by an overly childlike woman like Nel.”

Nnoitra lets out an angry yell and jumps at him, crashing both men to the ground as he just attempts to basically poke the bastard’s eyes out using elongated, sharp fingers.

Grimmjow grabs the hand and forces it off his face, a devilish grin on his face.

”What? Can’t handle the truth? Ya act like yer stronger, but t’s all just schematics; while in theory ya got more elemental energy in ya than me....”

A sharp, painful strike hits Nnoitra in his gut, and he coughs out blood to Grimmjow’s face, who sneers and throws him off, his hand covered in blood now.

Nnoitra stumbles back, realizing there was a large, gushing wound on his body again.

The bastard had managed to pierce trough his body, probably because the thin armoring layer around him was so blotchy right now and full of holes.

Nnoitra holds his stomach, blood seeping trough his fingers as he glares at the blunet.

”.... But it all depends how ya use it. Ya trust too much on that pathetic armor of yers, that once it’s gone...”

Grimmjow grabs his head and smashes it against the ground, more blood soaking the white surface now.

”Yer basically a weakling.”

He finishes, wiping the blood on his clothing; Grimmjow was honestly glad he could finish this quickly, because he still wanted to get the hell outta there as quickly as possible, and had Nnoitra been in full health, this could have taken a long time and been an extreme pain in the ass.

He turns to look at the ginger, noting that while Kurosaki was frowning at him, there was no fear in his eyes which was good.

”....Ya alright?” He asks from Ichigo, who just nods after a moment, walking to him and lifting his hand to brush the blood away from his face.

”Ya know. The mad hatter told me ta not cause a ruckus here.”

Grimmjow chuckles lightly, gaining a snort from Ichigo.

”He should’ve known that plan won’t work.”

Before Grimmjow could make a comeback remark, the ground suddenly starts shaking, and the ginger has to dodge out of the way as a thick, glass wall suddenly appears and separates them again.

”What the..?”

Before the ginger could even process what was going on, the floor underneath him gives away, and he falls into darkness, last thing he saw was Grimmjow and a tall shadow behind the blunet, heading down the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ookay, so I had to add one more chapter to the total so I can have a wind-down epilogue properly.  
> Meh, been a while since I wrote fight scenes so apologies if they aren't too great.  
> Also, tomorrow's my birthday.  
> ... maybe I should have posted this tomorrow as a birthday celebration thing. Then again the chapter is kinda intense, it probably wouldn't fit together with the theme of birthdays. 
> 
> Aaanyway, ramblings aside, I've been thinking of doodling a couple of pictures for this story that I'd post on my tumblr, but I don't really know which scenes I could draw. There's quite a few good ones to choose from anyway.  
> If you have any suggestions, you can propose them for me, though I can't promise I'll draw exactly those, it all really depends if I'm feeling it for that particular scene.  
> But, hearing what people might want to see could probably help me narrow down which ones to pick xD
> 
> So, hopefully you liked the chapter!


	20. Bittersweet ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo and Grimmjow finally come face-to-face with Aizen, and Ulquiorra makes his choice
> 
> prepare for sadness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAA  
> I'm almost doneeee  
> Just the final chapter after this one, and I've already typed it so I'm just gonna post it right after this one.   
> Slight warning though; these were written while I am having a pretty nasty flu, so if there are some weird typos or leaps in logic or something, that's probably why.  
> Also.   
> I figured I could mention here that I made a bit of a concept-image pic about Grimmjow for my other fic Whispers and Warriors. I'm still also thinking about drawing some pics for this fic too.
> 
> Aaanyway, here's the Grimmjow pic: https://lumilasi.tumblr.com/image/171588491741
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy this chapter, even if it had to make that certain, unfortunate turn. I felt it just sort of had to go that way.  
> You'll know what I mean once you finish reading the chapter.

Gin pondered whenever opening activating that trap door had been a good choice, but he needed to separate the two to have more time to do what he intended.

Originally he’d aimed to drop them _both_ to the depths, but unfortunately Grimmjow was out of the trap’s reach.

It did not matter too much though, as Starrk had been heading there now, and the ensuing chaos would surely cause more distractions.

It would take a little while before Aizen could finally catch them both; first Starrk needed to defeat Grimmjow, which was not as easy of a feat as one would think given the immense difference in power.

Unlike Grimmjow, Starrk lacked the will to fight, and was likely reluctant to harm his former comrade.

As for Kurosaki, it would take a while to locate him from the depths, as the trap led to the lowest part of the laboratory, the part that was rarely used.

With the man preoccupied with his little game of chess going on in the lower levels of the lab, the silver haired male could sneak into the place he was going in order to perform what he’d come there to do from the start.

Little did Aizen know, he was _not_ the only metahuman light elemental in this place, and Gin had used his ignorance of this fact to his advantage, sneaking in to free Kurosaki while the brunet focused on his plan.

If anybody would look at the recordings, it would simply seem like the door opened by itself, or Kurosaki somehow managed to unlock it.

As far as he was concerned, Aizen was only aware that Kurosaki escaped somehow, and Jeagerjaquez had appeared to save him as predicted. He’d likely taken all of this into accordion, hence Nnoitra, Ulquiorra and Starrk had stayed in, or near the lab, waiting.

Most of the guards were gone on purpose, to allow the trio of powerful elementals more free reign to deal with the two fugitives running around.

However, Gin was fairly certain the arrogant man had a lack of perspective in when it came to the emotions and connections his underlings perhaps had.

While Aizen likely predicted a potential betrayal of Ulquiorra given his affection towards Jeagerjaquez, he likely could not comprehend the true ramifications of this fact.

Underestimating the effect of Ulquiorra switching sides was a big mistake, a mistake Gin knew the man was bound to make.

Granted, it had been a gamble on his part; Gin could not be absolutely sure that the raven haired male would be swayed from his dutifulness, but even so, he was more than aware of the detail that the amount of power did not matter by the end of the day; it was your _**will**_ to live and fight, the way you used those powers. From the moment they’d been sealed in that room, Gin had known either they both would walk out alive, or only Jeagerjaquez would.

These parts of the lab were mostly empty, as only the most high ranking members had an access to go there.

Technically he was not supposed to be there, but thanks to his light powers, he was not visible to the cameras or any potential people in there anyway.

Soon, he found what he was looking for; the machine Aizen had planned to use to extract the elemental essence from Kurosaki, based on his research on Cifer’s abilities. One did question why did the man even bother creating a machine when there was a person who could it do it for him. Perhaps the arrogant man had felt it was inappropriate of him to having to rely on somebody else to do this, he wanted to be able to control the ability himself.

Perhaps a subconscious part of Aizen never trusted any of his underlings, or more likely, saw them as objects he’d dispose of once they became useless.

Gin walks to the console and glances around, before entering the system. He did not have much time, as Aizen would likely question soon where he was.

 

 

 

Grimmjow cursed inwardly as he saw the figure slowly approaching him, stopping several feet away.

This guy was NOT one he wanted to fight.

Not only was his power a pain in the ass, but Starrk was a good guy, and it was pretty damn hard to summon blood-lust against somebody you sort of _liked._

Perhaps in the past this could’ve been easy, but now Grimmjow gave a shit about stuff in general.

”Grimmjow, you look good. Much better than last time.”

Starrk greets him with a sad smile, clearly about as reluctant to do this as Ulquiorra.

Though, for different reasons.

Glancing behind him, Grimmjow notes the pale figure had vanished, trails of his shadows leading to the giant hole on the floor at the other side of the thick glass. Ulquiorra had gone after Ichigo, and Grimmjow wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about it. Ichigo could deal with him, he’d shown signs of it before, but Grimmjow really didn’t want to see those two kill each other.

He cared for them both too much.

”I was kind of hoping you’d just skip town like you did with us, but I suppose Kurosaki is a bit more important to you than that.”

The blunet turns to face the older male, who wore his typical tired expression.

Starrk appeared in no way threatening right now, but Grimmjow knew fucking well what he was capable of.

His lightning was powerful, but it was pretty infantile compared to full blown ** _storm._**

It was just an _aspect_ of a storm, whereas Starrk controlled _all_ elements of it; shearing winds, thunder, rainfall, snowfall, you name it.

He was ridiculously laid-back for somebody in possession of such Alpha-class element, as Aizen called it.

”It seems Nnoitra took quite a beating from you as well.”

Starrk comments as he glances at the bloody heap in the corner between the glass and the wall; the heavy transparent blockage had missed his sorry head by mere inches.

”The fucker trusts too much on his iron skin; once ya get trough it, he’s done for.”

Grimmjow snorts, glancing at the unconscious figure dismissively.

”Or perhaps you have grown stronger; bonds with others tend to strengthen one’s mind and body.” Starrk comments with a slight small, a genuine bit of pride in his voice.

Given he was older than most of Aizen’s top tier members had been, he’d always acted kind of fatherly to a lot of them, even Harribel who Grimmjow could’ve sworn was an old woman in a young lady’s body.

”Cut the shit Starrk. I know yer here ta try an’ kick my ass.”

The brown haired male’s smile dies down and he sighs, glancing at Nnoitra again.

”...Indeed. But...I don’t feel right about doing this when there is an injured companion lying on the floor beside us.”

”Please. If ya and Nnoitra swapped places he woulda not give a shit.”

Starrk lets out a slight chuckle, figuring Grimmjow was right with that assumption.

”I am not Gilga-san however, and I refuse to go into battle if he’s lying on the battle grounds.”

With that, he lifts his hand, and Grimmjow brought his arms up to cover himself, knowing what to expect.

The first blast of air missed him, diverting from his right side and hit the glass, making it vibrate until it shattered. The next powerful gust forced Grimmjow off his feet, flying back and being thrown into the hole on the floor, with Starrk following suit.

The blunet almost wanted to roll his eyes; instead of using his body to break the damned thing, the old man had opted to shatter the glass first so he wouldn’t have to suffer the impact, as if it mattered.

The end game was supposed to be his death anyway, though probably not directly from Stark's hands if what Ichigo mentioned was true.

”I really wish you hadn’t come, boy.”

Starrk sighs as they descend into darkness, following after Ichigo and the trail of shadows.

 

 

 

Despite the long fall, Ichigo had not in fact crashed to the ground so hard it knocked the air out of his lungs like one would expect. Before his face became familiar with the floor below, shadows caught him and slowed his descend enough so that it only felt like he’d tripped and fallen on his face. Basically, it still hurt but no bones were broken. Ichigo sits up rubbing his back, and looks around confused.

It was clear he was in a less used part of the laboratory, as the lights were out and there was even dust on the floor.

Looking up, he could see a pin-prick of light above.

He’d fallen trough some sort of tube and ended up in a relatively large room.

There was a thick-looking door on one wall, indicating this was some sort of prison cell or so, like the room he’d been held in previously, only this one didn’t even have a bed of sorts to sit on.

”I was not aware this trap was still functional. To my understanding Aizen stopped utilizing it long ago, given intruders are a rarity in this laboratory.”

Ichigo whips around, spotting the pale face standing few feet away.

Slowly, he gets up and ignites a flame, both for potential defense and so he could see around a bit better.

”What’s this place?”

”A prison area. Aizen would send misbehaving subordinates or his enemies down here, though usually he would not utilize the trap door you came trough from, given he usually needed the prisoners alive and that drop could accidentally kill someone.”

Looking up at how high the entrance was, Ichigo had to agree.

That reminded him...

”You... _why_ did you break my fall?”

Ulquiorra says nothing for a moment, just examines Kurosaki closely.

It was strange, but after all those words from Grimmjow, he no longer felt hostility towards the ginger, at least not as much.

A bit of that jealousy was still there, but it no longer made his body physically hurt.

”You’re important to him.”

He states simply, making Ichigo stare at him baffled.

Sure, it was true, but why did that matter to Ulquiorra?

Ichigo shakes his head, figuring there was no time in pondering this.

”How do I get out of here?”

Ulquiorra nods towards the heavy door.

”....How can I open it? I’m pretty sure it’s elemental proof and probably locked.”

”Not necessarily; like I said this particular room has not been used in ages; I'm fairly certain only the pathways leading out of this area are still actively elemental-proof.”

Cautiously, Ichigo approaches the door and presses his flame to it. For his luck, Ulquiorra was right as the metal begins to melt quickly.

Eventually it falls to the ground uselessly, and Ichigo is greeted by a large, open area with several doors and one pathway on each wall. This place definitely seemed like a prison section, given the thick metallic doors and thick glass windows on each. They both step out of the small room as Ichigo looks around cautiously, scanning the area with his newfound heat sense he’d used earlier on in the mine.

There were no heat signals in this area, aside from... some sort of machine further away?

The object was far too large to simply be a person.

As Ichigo fine-tuned his senses, he realized the object was not in fact on the same level, but above the area. It was far removed from rest of the complex that Ichigo could not stop but find it peculiar.

”It seems we won’t be alone for long.”

Ulquiorra suddenly comments, looking back at the room they’d come from. Ichigo turns to look at him confused just as a strong blast of icy wind blows trough the open pathway and sends him flying far across the large room, crashing against a nearby door. The doorway itself is torn and blasted to pieces, bringing down the entire wall and revealing the square room behind it.

What the hell was that?

If this was a wind user, they were _highly_ powerful.

Except, the edges of the giant hole were slightly charred, as if lightning hit them.

Unlike Ichigo, Ulquiorra was unaffected, but he had also floated further back in his more shadowy form, though likely voluntarily to avoid the full force of the blast. As the dust clears, Ichigo looks with widened eyes as he spots Grimmjow on the floor nearby him now, covered in small cuts and bruises. He scrambles off the floor, staring up at a man who slowly floated to the ground in the room, wind and dust and what seemed to be sparks of lightning dancing around him.

The sparks were yellow, so Grimmjow was not the cause of them.

As the man steps out of the trap room to join them, he spots Ichigo still sitting on the floor slightly stunned.

”Ah, it seems we still have company.”

The older male comments, then glances at Ulquiorra, looking slightly surprised.

”What are you doing here Cifer?”

”Aizen-sama asked me to ... extract his power.”

The pale man states passively, glancing at Grimmjow. The brunet hums with an amused smile, though it was not a cold one like what most of his colleagues sported.

”I am guessing you don’t wish to do so then?”

There was no judgment in his tone, none whatsoever.

This older man was quite _different_ from majority of people Ichigo had met here.

He was clearly highly powerful, the fact Grimmjow was tense as hell further drove home the point; he’d never seen Grimmjow **this** alarmed.

His entire body was stiff and he was crouched down in a fight-ready pose, keeping his stare trained at the man in front of him.

You could see his wild hair stand to an end as excessive amount of lightning coated him, it even caused Ichigo’s skin to prickle, and he was several feet away. What seemed to contradict Grimmjow’s tenseness was the peculiar detail that his opponent did not have a malicious aura to him, but rather, seemed _reluctant_ to fight the blunet.

”What the hell are ya two standing there! **_Move!_** ”

Grimmjow snarls at Ichigo as he spots him; there was a level of urgency in hid tone, perhaps even a level of fear which was almost unheard of from him.

Ichigo glances between him and the brunet who was examining them now curiously.

His gaze drifts to the pale figure standing in the shadows, observing the scene quietly.

”Aizen won’t take kindly on if you help him escape, though I wouldn’t blame you for that choice.”

Starrk reminds the pale figure, who was clearly being indecisive on what to do right now.

He kept glancing between Ichigo and the two other men, and his uncertainty was starting to get on Grimmjow’s nerves, as he suddenly throws a lightning bolt at Ulquiorra, the spark hitting the ground beside him and startling the man from his frozen state.

_”Make yer choice already.”_

His tone was unusually cold, implying he was still ready to fight Ulquiorra if he had to.

Before Ulquiorra could respond, the old man sighs and lifts his hand, and the whole room around them turns into a chaotic mess as fierce winds and knife-sharp hail began to spin around, cutting and striking everything they hit, sending more pieces of wall and ceiling fly in a large indoor tornado.

Ichigo dodged a massive slab heading his way by slipping into the corridor nearby, with the thing smashing to the wall and partially blocking the pathway, thus giving him some shelter from the sudden storm.

Grimmjow blasted the nearest rock to bits with his lightning, morphing his body into lightning so he was mostly unaffected by the winds now, though he kept dodging the yellow sparks aimed at him, knowing if one of those hit him he could be temporarily paralyzed.

Ulquiorra had apparently done the same phasing trick with his shadows, as everything the fierce storm threw at the pale figure just flew trough him.

Ichigo watches from his shelter in awe as the massive whirlwind spun around Starrk, destroying the walls and the roof slowly, as if a giant sandpaper was rubbing on them.

The tornado extended all the way up trough the trapdoor above, likely creating a mess there as well.

”Yer gonna bring this whole fuckin’ place down now, Starrk?!”

Grimmjow barks at the man, glancing towards Ichigo and relieved to see the ginger was unharmed, currently hiding behind a large slap of debris.

”Do not worry, this place is rather sturdy.” The old man tells him calmly, then sends another powerful lightning bolt at Grimmjow, who only barely manages to dodge it.

While the old man’s thunder was slower, it was _fucking_ hard to see from where exactly it was coming from in this chaos, and given it was electricity, it was hard for Grimmjow to pinpoint it with his senses when it reminded his own power so much.

Dodging another spark, he manages to send a blue bolt at the old man, who crosses his arms and uses his own yellow lightning to block the strike, then send it back twice as powerful.

Grimmjow manages to slip out of the way, but the yellow bolt flies towards Ichigo, who barely had time to dodge as it hit the boulder shielding him from the wind, letting the fierce storm sneak into the corridor he’d been hiding in.

He is thrown back and stumbles across the floor, colliding at the wall at the end of the corridor, his body full of small cuts and slashes from the winds and the sharp hailstorm.

Ichigo’s head spun a little, and he could hear a distant growl as Grimmjow aggressively attacked the old man, illuminating the whole room with intense blue light for a second. The storm faltered a bit and backed away from Ichigo, allowing him to slide to the floor.

He coughs, small droplets of blood coloring the floor beneath him as his cuts bled.

Looking up, he noted that Grimmjow was glaring at the old man intensely, the elemental power around him moving and sparking restlessly.

It was so intense it almost looked like it was taking a form, like a large feline or something.

The old man seemed taken aback by the sudden fury displayed by his opponent, and brushed the bits of blood off his lip.

”You really care for that boy, do you?”

It was both a question and a surprised statement.

Grimmjow snorts at the old man, a wicked, angry grin appearing on his face.

”He owes me for the bullshit he put me trough for six months while he was missing. I ain’t gonna let him kick the bucket till I’ve kicked his ass for it!”

Ichigo almost wanted to roll his eyes, though part of him wondered just how bad had it been for the blunet back then, given he always sounded serious when he said this.

The man had hinted at some emotional turmoil back then, but...

No.

Not now, he could ask Grimm about it later, provided they got out alive.

Starrk examines the fierce young man in front of him with newfound level of respect.

He had not seen the boy ever really care for anyone before, not like this; the brunet could tell from the fierce look aimed at him, that Grimmjow would only let anyone lay their hands on Kurosaki Ichigo only over his dead body. Such devotion was not unfamiliar to Starrk, although his took a different form. The old man sighs, rubbing his eyes as he was faced with an internal moral dilemma; he was not keen on harming the blunet, had never been.

Earlier, he could have justified it for himself by thinking he was letting the out of control young man out of his misery, but it was clear this blue haired rascal was not the same that almost blew up Aizen’s mansion over a year ago.

This one had a _reason_ to live, the **_will_** to do so, and he had something to  fight for, all qualities Starrk respected and found hard to coldly just snuff out.

However, he also had his own people to protect, and right now, Grimmjow was standing in the way of that.

Granted, he as not supposed to kill Jeagerjaquez, Aizen needed him alive for the finish of his project, but given the look the blue eyes aimed at him, Starrk had a feeling this could end up in death.

Glancing at the ginger who’d managed to walk at the corridor entrance now, looking up at Grimmjow with worry in his eyes.

Starrk couldn’t stop but smile a little; young love was always such a brilliant thing to witness, burning fiercely like a fire emblem, which in this case was twice as true given the ginger was a fire-elemental.

”Very well.”

Starrk lifts his hand and glances at Ulquiorra, who’d been watching the situation, clearly still uncertain on what he wanted to do. With a swift motion, the man uses his immense power to literally wind-blast the raven haired male towards Ichigo.

Ulquiorra was caught by surprise so he doesn’t have enough time to turn into a shadow or anything, and he crashes against the ginger, sending them fly back at the end of the corridor. He then uses another lightning bolt to seal the corridor shut with a giant pile of rubble, before turning his gaze back at Grimmjow who was looking at him dumbfounded.

”There is no way out at that direction; Aizen knows we’re here so he’s made sure to completely lock this floor, likely with elemental-proof reinforcements. They cannot get out.”

”And yer tellin’ me this because...?”

Starrk sighs and lets the wind settle for a moment, so that everything turned eerily quiet around them, aside from the slight crackling sound from Grimmjow’s lightning.

”Let’s put it this way; now you don't have to worry about his life, and you can go all out; if you manage to beat me, you two can go and escape. If you lose, I can just go and pick him up from there.”

Grimmjow snorts at that, telling the man that he’d just said the place was sealed shut.

”You have survived against more impossible odds before.” The man reminds him with a chuckle, and Grimmjow shrugs, not really able to deny that.

”Kurosaki might just melt that pile ya made though; his flames are hot like hellfire if he wills it so nowadays.”

Starrk looks at him with amusement in his eyes, clearly picking up on the hint of pride in the blunet’s voice.

”That is why I am keeping him from doing so.”

A second later, the fierce tornado of razor sharp winds and crackling lightning starts around them again, and Grimmjow steadies himself.

 

 

 

 

Ichigo groaned, having been crushed against a wall by powerful winds twice now. As he looks up, he notes for his horror that his path to Grimmjow was blocked, not just by rubble but a miniature tornadoes hurling in front of it, likely dwarfing any attempt at trying to clear the path.

”I keep forgetting how versatile Starrk’s winds are.”

Ulquiorra comments dryly as he manages to get up, brushing a tiny bit of blood from his lips.

”I can’t just leave Grimm alone to face him! This guy’s clearly too powerful!”

Ichigo huffs, trying to get past the fierce winds, only to be thrown back again with a curse.

Shit, those winds were sharp, his hands had brand new lacerations on them.

”We cannot get trough; his elemental winds are so strong they will even rip my shadows to shreds.”

Hearing that admission from Ulquiorra was unnerving, and he glances at the pale figure questioningly.

”Keep in mind, Kurosaki Ichigo; our elements are not just that. They are special kind of **energy** taking a form of an element. That is why even an element unaffected in nature by another, can be affected with an elemental.”

Ulquiorra sounded almost like he was lecturing a child, there was a hind of a condescending tone in his monotone voice, which pissed Ichigo off.

He knew about this, he had learned about it at school.

It wasn’t HIS fault he couldn’t remember such details while in the midst of a heated escape attempt!

”Instead of lecturing me, how about you help out coming up with a way to go back and help him!”

Ichigo snaps at the raven haired male, whose gaze drifts towards the blockage. His expression was blank again.

”I do not think he’d want that, and even if we tried, this area has been sealed off and no elemental can get trough.”

Ichigo grabs his shoulders so suddenly, that he manages to startle the pale man, making the green eyes shoot up at him. They were almost comically wide, but this was no time to be laughing.

”So you are just gonna give up like that?! I don’t know why you suddenly decided to help me, but I’m guessing Grimm said something to you to convince you to do so.”

Ulquiorra averts his gaze, indicating Ichigo was right.

” _I get it_ , you don’t like me ’cause I cock-blocked you, but it shouldn’t matter! Grimm still cares about you, even if it’s not the way you want it!”

Ichigo shakes him a little, and the green eyes just stare, as if the man was speechless.

”If you truly care about him in turn, you help me find a way to get past that blockade so I...so we can save his sorry stubborn ass from getting killed!”

Ichigo’s eyes burned onto the green ones, and for a moment neither of them spoke, the only sound in the dim corridor being the howling winds sealing their path to the blunet.

”....We cannot use our elemental powers, but there is a ventilation path to the upper level. The security is likely preoccupied with dealing with Starrk’s battle, so they may not notice us going trough it and reaching the trap-door.”

”Do you think it’s still open?”

”We can re-open it from the control room, it is on the way to it.”

Ichigo examines him for a moment, gouging out any hint of lies. He couldn’t read the blank expression, but his gut told him Ulquiorra wanted to save Grimmjow before Starrk could kill him, or injure enough that Aizen could do it instead, using whatever means he had in mind.

”Alright.”

The ginger let’s go of him and asks the man to show him the way. Ulquiorra glances towards the blocked path, still feeling slightly conflicted.

Then, he nods and starts heading to a direction, with an antsy fire-elemental hot on his heels.

 

 

 

Grimmjow panted harshly, currently hiding behind a hefty piece of wall-debris that was slowly sanded away by the fierce winds.

He was cut up pretty bad, but so far had managed go dodge any lightning that could seriously mess his power up. He was kind of thankful the old fart had gotten Ichigo out of the battlefield, though another part of him said that he could have really used Kurosaki’s help right now.

The man shook his head, refusing to listen to that voice.

He’d been protecting the ginger’s sorry - though attractive - ass for so long, his pride was **not** going to let him fall for that pathetic mental trap.

He had dealt with a lot of shit on his own long before Kurosaki, he didn’t need help now just because he actually gave a shit about somebody.

Jumping aside, a large yellow bolt nearly obliterated his shelter, and Grimmjow was exposed to the fierce winds again, morphing his body into lightning to lessen the painful stabs hitting his body. It was hard to keep the form up when the wind around him wanted to separate his elemental particles into light-dust, so the man was forced to hide behind another rock, as he couldn’t keep up his metahuman form for long.

”I must say; it was a clever trick from you to use Nnoitra’s own power against him. Piercing his armor with his own metal was smart.”

”What’s with ya always wanting to have a fucking chat during a fight, Starrk?”

Grimmjow shouts at him, sending a blue bolt towards the figure, which the man dodged by disappearing into the wind and reappearing elsewhere.

 _Fucking hell,_ he’d not landed a hit since the first one because the fucker kept dodging.

His body was hard to pin down in this chaotic mess.

”I was genuinely complimenting you; you are usually more in line of attack first, plan later.”

Grimmjow snorts, rolling his eyes. That had not required much of planning honestly; he’d always known the armor was the weak spot, he’d just never had the opportunity to test this trick before.

”I have to say, I don’t really enjoy doing this.”

Another fierce yellow glow, and Grimmjow was sent tumbling backwards, as the blast that destroyed the rock caused such a shock-wave it send him flying, colliding against a wall. Grimmjow drops on his fours, noting the wind had calmed down a little. He could see Starrk further away, completely unharmed as one would expect in this situation, given the raging razor-blade tornado was his own making.

The room was now at least three times as big, given he’d pretty much sandpapered away most of the walls of the rooms around them, and even carved a good chunk off the thick ceiling above them.

The fact this area was really more of a cave was now exposed, as the walls and ceiling plates had dissipated into sand and rubble, revealing the stony structure beneath.

Grimmjow spits out blood as he gets up, igniting his aura of electricity again.

He summons as much energy as he could, hurling a massive bolt at Starrk, bright enough to blind them both for a moment.

As the light dissipates, he notes Starrk had not moved from his spot, and his clothes were slightly charred, but that was all. This began to really seem hopeless, but Grimmjow found himself not caring. He was fairly certain Kurosaki would find a way out by himself, he was capable like that. Ulquiorra was still a question-mark, but he wanted to believe the fucker wouldn’t eat his words.

”This feels a little unfair.”

Starrk notes, examining the bleeding figure in front of him.

Grimmjow was not weak by any means, but they both knew his lightning just did not match up with Starrk’s pure essence of storm.

The blunet just spits more blood out, wiping his face and gives the man another wicked grin.

”I’m just gettin’ started.”

It was a fucking lie, and an obvious one at that; the blast he’d sent at Starrk’s direction earlier had been strong enough to normally destroy a horde of men, but it barely did anything here.

”Why are you so keen on rescuing Kurosaki? You could just walk away.”

The wind suddenly died out around them, and Grimmjow looks at the old man baffled, still panting harshly.

”Aizen has made it rather clear that having you both would simply be a bonus; he only really needs Kurosaki to finish his project. Sure it’ll be slightly slower, but we are talking minutes here.”

**_Minutes?_ **

Grimmjow almost wanted to laugh; so the crazy fucker wanted to get his filthy hands on them BOTH just because he _couldn’t be damned_ to wait couple more minutes?

”He is not even angry at you for the stunt you did a year ago; he is willing to let you walk away if you want.”

”The fuck kinda psychological bullshit you are trying to pull on me?”

Grimmjow cackles at the old man, before shooting him an intense glare of pure fury.

”Don’t give me that crap, Starrk. We both know he don’t like loose ends. Even if he doesn’t need me ta be a lab-rat, he’d still hunt my sorry ass down!”

”You’ve been good at hiding from him before.”

Grimmjow just stares at him, disgust written all over his face.

”I get that I’ve given a shitty picture of myself in the past, but I’m NOT some fucking spineless coward who just fucking runs away when someone they give a shit about needs them!”

The amount of resolve in his voice even surprised Grimmjow himself, and he almost felt embarrassed for saying something so...sappy, at least by his standards.

Then again, he’d entered down this rabbit-hole ages ago, there was no point in feeling ashamed anymore.

Starrk just smiles a bit, the expression edging so close to a proud parent again that Grimmjow almost wanted to just leap and smack him in the face, fuck it if the yellow sparks paralyzed him afterwards.

”It’s nice to see you’ve finally found your way, Jeagerjaquez.”

The smile dies down quickly, replaced by seriousness.

”However, I still have to do my duty. I have those I am protecting as well.”

Grimmjow didn’t say anything, just dodged as another yellow lightning was thrown at him.

 

 

Ulquiorra had been right about the vent, but he had not mentioned how much of a tight fit it was. Ichigo had felt near claustrophobic crawling trough it, and was more than relieved once they emerged out into a larger room.

Having to stare at Ulquiorra’s bottom while going trough the vent had not been pleasant either.

He probably wouldn’t have felt as awkward if it was Grimmjow.

Then again, Grimmjow would likely not have fit trough here anyway.

As he gets up, the fire elemental cracks his back and takes in a deep breath of fresh air. Looking around, he noted they had emerged into a room full of computers and screens. A control room of sorts, like Ulquiorra had mentioned.

”Why is this room empty?”

Ichigo asks as he realizes what felt out of place.

”It seems Aizen has evacuated the area, given Starrk’s storm is causing quite the havoc outside.”

Looking trough the cameras, Ichigo could see that the escaping wisps of wind from the somehow still open trap-door were indeed causing chaos all around them. Some of the cameras were broken down, others had glitching pictures.

”Why didn’t he just close the trap door?”

”You can only do it from here, and it seems nobody can access this room right now.”

Ulquiorra comments, nodding towards the camera that seemed to be from the corridor right outside.

There was a giant slab of dropped ceiling blocking the path.

”That is the only route here from outside.”

Ichigo frowns, watching at the glitchy picture. Suddenly, the building rumbles, and Ichigo could see a floor collapse in one of the rooms shown by the cameras.

”It seems... Starrk is doing more damage than he realizes once again.”

”I’m guessing this floor isn’t too important if he allows that man to run on a rampage like this.”

Ichigo comments, looking at the source of the storm, the open trap-door.

”It is not in fact; this area mainly had dozens of laboratories handling dealings with drugs and such, Barragan-san’s business. His own lab is elsewhere.”

It was... kind of strange to have Ulquiorra be so talkative, but Ichigo figured he was doing it either out of nervousness he didn’t realize himself, or he just liked schooling people and flashing his knowledge at their faces.

”I need to get there, but that wind seems really strong...”

Ichigo could hear the howling outside, and saw how the walls were slowly being thinned and scraped away, any object left in the open rooms or corridors being thrown about like a ragdoll. Ichigo began to feel a familiar bit of hopelessness to enter his system again, and he bit his lip frustrated, unsure on how to get to the center of the storm.

”...I might have an idea.”

Ichigo turns to look at the raven haired male, who holds a device in his hand. It was the strange, time altering thing Grimmjow had gotten from Urahara and used to sneak in.

”I picked it up. While it looks broken, it still has some charge left and could work.”

Ichigo grabs it quickly, realizing what the raven haired figure was thinking.

”Using this...the wind could slow down to a bearable level.”

”Yes, but it will be rather unpredictable, given the impact it suffered broke it a little.”

Indeed, there was a small crack on the device, and the screen was glitchy, no longer showing how much time it had left in it. Given the thing was also leaking elemental energy - Ichigo could literally feel it, the strange vertigo-inducing aura Urahara’s teleportation carried with it, dripping down his hand - it likely would not last long.

”It is worth a shot; good idea!”

Ichigo actually smiles at Ulquiorra, who just stares at him blankly.

”I am only helping you because I don’t wish to see him die; I won't be coming with you as the charge can only cover for one person I believe.” He tells him flatly, which didn’t surprise Ichigo, as he turns towards the door, feeling his heartbeat thunder in his chest.

”And I only trust you because I know that.”

Ichigo prepares himself, glancing at the beaten down device in his hand, praying it would work.

Pressing the button, he opens the door, letting the fierce winds inside.

 

 

Ulquiorra had been right, the thing was tempered; at times everything worked like when Grimmjow had first appeared, slowing things down to a comically slow-mo level, then for a brief moment the wind would suddenly pick up, pushing him back and cutting his face and arms. Ichigo gritted his teeth and kept walking, at times having to dodge as time jolted forward, sending debris fly towards his head.

By a miracle, he reaches the open hole, noting that it looked little like a giant whirlpool opening into the depths. Peering down, Ichigo couldn’t really see anything down there, given all the dust that was thrown into the air, but he knew Grimmjow and the brunet were somewhere down there. He glances at the device that was now sparking lightly in his hand, running out of energy. The ginger knew he only really had one choice here; jump straight into the eye of the storm, hoping he would not be cut up too bad. Then, just as he prepares to jump down and shuts off the device, the winds die down around him, dropping anything that was floating in the air to the floor, causing a cacophony of thumps and thuds and crashing sounds ring in the air around him the same time.

Ichigo looks down puzzled, and now could see a figure standing below.

Based on the energy he sensed, the figure was likely Starrk, and he was talking to someone, likely Grimmjow.

Despite the ringing in his ears from the earlier loud noises, Ichigo was somehow able to hear the blunet’s voice.

Perhaps it was another quirk of this matching aura thing. He could hear Starrk ask Grimmjow why he didn’t just escape by himself.

Ichigo froze a bit, realizing Starrk was giving the blunet a way out of his likely dire situation, and he went dead silent, trying to hear the response.

 

_”......... I’m NOT some fucking spineless coward who just fucking runs away when someone they give a shit about needs them!”_

 

Ichigo’s heart skips a beat as he heard those words.

He _knew_ this, of course he did.

He _knew_ Grimmjow loved him, even if he didn’t say it.

It still made him ridiculously happy and... proud, to hear that.

With that pride and happiness, he is also filled with fierce determination, and Ichigo straightens himself, igniting his body.

It burned bright white, actually melting the floor and walls around him almost instantly. Normally he'd been more freaked out about the sudden level of power he had, but right now, Ichigo felt strangely calm and in control. Perhaps Grimmjow's lessons about keeping your goal in mind had sank in.

Without hesitation, he jumped down, covering himself with even more bright flames, until he almost looked like a giant bird, flying down to strike at its prey.

A bird of fire.

_A phoenix._

 

 

Starrk had just prepared himself to throw another lightning at Grimmjow, who’d barely managed to dodge the last one, his vision blurry from blood-loss.

That’s when intense heat suddenly appeared above them, alongside a ridiculously bright, white light.

Starrk shields his eyes in confusion, wondering what on earth was that.

Grimmjow recognized the familiar aura, and by the time Starrk realized what was going on, an enormous cascade of white flames tumbled down from above, completely engulfing every nook and cranny of the destroyed room.

It burned every single surface it touched, turning the piles of rubble to ashes, completely eviscerating the tornado that had been raging there.

Yet, Grimmjow did not get burned, not even once.

The flames around him were blindingly bright and loud, but they only felt warm, not harming a hair in his head.

Once he opened his eyes, the blunet found Ichigo standing in front of him, his entire form glowing brightly white, his normally warm brown orbs now having almost a golden hue to them.

He almost appeared like some sort of inhuman being, an angel from the skies, or a fucking _hellfire_ demon given all the blazing around him.

It was far more intense than what he’d seen ever before from the fire elemental, and Grimmjow wondered if he’d lost control of his power.

However, as he starts to collapse, and warm arms circle around him, supporting his weight and letting the blunet to slump against the fiery figure, the inferno around them dies down, leaving only small flickers of flame here and there, and piles of smoking ash.

Grimmjow noted that Ichigo’s body was temptingly warm right now, lulling his body to relax despite the aching, probably because these flames around him were burning purely based on the ginger’s emotions.

He feels Ichigo shift to accommodate for the weight the blunet was putting on him, but he didn’t seem to be struggling with it at all.

The white flames sort of cocooned the figure he was holding, and Grimmjow almost wanted to laugh; Ichigo had always been a bleeding heart, and even his element showed this detail to be true.

A cough catches his attention, and Grimmjow manages to lift his gaze from the shoulder he’d buried his face against for a moment, feeling dizzy.

It was Starrk, he was somehow alive even after that inferno, but now his clothes were almost completely burned, and his skin had burns in it too.

There was a small flame atop his head, which the man turns out with his hand, flinching as it hurt to do so.

_”That was...unexpected.”_

Starrk comments, then coughs out blood, his voice raspy as his throat was also burned. Ichigo slowly turns to look at the old man, the glare in his eyes so intense it almost rivaled Grimmjow’s murderous stares.

**_”I will not let you harm him any further.”_ **

His voice was resolute, his grip on Grimmjow firm, and right now he was so far removed from the scared little shit he’d been when the blunet had first found him, that he couldn’t stop but grin with pride.

He’d never been so fucking proud to be able to call someone his. 

Starrk examines the fiery figure in front of him, noting his vision was turning blurry.

Shit, that fiery blast had been much stronger than he could have ever expected. The kid had not just managed to break trough his barriers, it felt like his flames had managed to burn his energy _itself._ Starrk had heard rumors of some highly powerful elementals being able to affect one's energy itself instead of the physical manifestations, but he'd never thought he'd get to witness someone like this.

The boy likely had no idea he could do this, perhaps hadn't even meant to do so.

_”You are a terrifying one, Kurosaki Ichigo.”_

The man laughs, then coughs out more blood, slowly slumping to the floor.

Ichigo gazes at the man, a little surprised how he’d apparently managed to take him down with just that one hit.

”Might be ’cause your power was held back so long; it was bound ta be a huge blast.”

Grimmjow mutters out, then coughs out blood, snapping Ichigo’s attention back to him, and the ginger lies him to the ground, his flames dissipating to reveal the more typical ginger figure beneath, as he checks Grimmjow’s injuries.

Most of it was just cuts and bruises, but who knew how he looked internally.

Plus, given the amount of blood, he’d likely lost a lot of it.

”How’d ya...”

”Ulquiorra showed me a way to get out. The whole floor is empty right now thanks to that storm.”

Grimmjow looks slightly surprised, but then huffs out a sigh, smirking a bit.

”I shoulda have known you’d try ta come back n’ help me.”

Ichigo just gives him a stern glare, his hand shifting to rest on top of Grimmjow’s heartbeat reflexively. While he tried to remain calm, seeing Grimmjow bleeding like this again... it was worrying him.

”You _clearly_ needed it.”

”If I wasn’t so beaten ta hell, I’d shut up that mouth fer that comment.”

Grimmjow grumbles out, though it was a half-hearted complaint, Ichigo grants the indirect wish and leans down, kissing him gently.

”Let’s get out of here.”

Ichigo hauls Grimmjow off the floor, but the blunet suddenly shakes his head and lets go of Ichigo, waiting for a moment so his dizziness passes. He then walks towards the half-conscious Starrk, who looks up at him with an amused smile.

_”Coming to finish the job, are you? Aizen ....did think ...you were a fine assassin.”_

Grimmjow crouches down next to him, an unreadable look on his face.

For a moment Ichigo wonders if Grimmjow was going to kill the man, but his next words confuse the ginger.

”Hey. Are the rumors about yer girl true?”

Starrk’s eyes widen, and then his face takes on a somber look, as he tilts his head aside.

_”I suppose .....you’d have heard of it.”_

”What’s the deal there?”

Starrk looks up at the blunet with confusion; why would Jeagerjaquez want to know?

Ah, hell, he was likely going to die soon, so might as well share his story. He took a deep breath, trying not to wince too much, so he could speak properly.

”Lilynette. She is... like you. A lightning elemental born with too much power from the start.”

Grimmjow’s eyes widen by a fraction, but he says nothing. Ichigo listens to the chat closely now.

”She was...I feared she'd end up...killing someone or harming herself....Lily is a sweet kid, she means no harm to anyone, even if she's got a temper." The man chuckles. then coughs, his throat sore and dry like a desert.

"Aizen promised to help her if I helped him forward his cause.”

”Ya should know that was likely bullshit.”

Grimmjow tells the man bluntly, gaining a laugh and a spluttering cough right after as a response.

Ichigo began to feel bad for the injuries he inflicted upon the man; he had done it to save Grimmjow, but now... Maybe he’d gone too far.

”I know. I was...desperate. I know there usually isn’t helping those with her case. Your survival back then was a miracle.”

Grimmjow glances at Ichigo, then back at Starrk.

”It was, yeah. But yer girl can be saved.”

The brunet looks up at him, his vision so blurry that he only could really see blotches of blue.

”This whole ’burning out’ and instability business with our kind, Kurosaki’s got a doctor buddy who’s actually doin’ research on it, and he’s...... found a kid who might be the key ta fix the issue.”

Starrk’s eyes widen, then he lets out a slight, tired and raspy laugh.

Ichigo felt his heart clench as he began to fully grasp what he’d done.

This man was not just another thug under Aizen’s rule; he was a _parent._

”Gods...I’m...I’m _sorry_.”

Ichigo stutters out as he walks there, slumping beside the man too, who just flashes him a smile.

”T’s okay kid. You just did what I was doing: protecting what you cared for.”

Ichigo swallows down hard, not knowing what to say.

Grimmjow glances at Kurosaki with a slight frown; this was one of the reasons he would have preferred to defeat Starrk by himself - even if the chances had been minimal - because he knew Kurosaki would get upset once he learned of this detail.

_”Grimm...”_

The blunet looks up at Ichigo, knowing what he wanted to ask.

Blue eyes drift back at Starrk.

The old man was badly injured, and dragging him with them would likely be a suicide mission. He was also injured himself, and he didn’t have Urahara’s time slowing device with him anymore, and likely it wouldn’t even work. Ulquiorra was fuck knew where, and he still wasn’t entirely convinced the shadow elemental really had a change of heart.

Grimmjow could buy him letting Grimmjow escape, but he was aware the fucker likely had personal reasons not to be so lenient with Ichigo.

”Ah, fuck it.”

Grimmjow sighs and grabs the old man, hauling him to his feet.

”We’ll get ya out of here as well old man; Urahara’s in need of a new lab-rat anyway, and I bet yer daughter could suffice.”

”What he means is, my doctor friend would be more than willing to help your child if you let him.”

Ichigo corrects the blunet, grasping the other arm of the old man.

For a moment Starrk was speechless, but then a warm, tired smile spread to his face. He was clearly touched.

”What can an old man do, having such nice kids around. But you should not bother trying to get me out of here, just go find Lily once you get out.”

”We cannot face her if we hafta tell we beat her daddy up and let him die.”

Grimmjow points out, gaining a rough laugh from the old man.

”I suppose that is true.”

The blunet turns his attention to Ichigo to say something, but before he could, a loud, piercing noise began echoing in the walls and the group falls to the ground, holding their heads.

”What...?”

Ichigo questions, clutching his head like he feared it would explode from the noise. He could feel all the power drain from his body, before he was knocked unconscious. Last thing he saw was a pale figure, walking towards them with a familiar smug brunet in tow.

 

 

 

 

When the ginger stirred awake, he found himself tied into some sort of machine, stuck inside a glass pod of sorts. Glancing to the side, he found Grimmjow in the other, bound like him, blue eyes glaring murderously at something.

As he turns his gaze, Ichigo could tell the stare was aimed at Ulquiorra, who was pointedly avoiding his gaze.

So the raven haired male had betrayed them after all?

Ichigo could not stop but feel slighted as well; he could understand the bastard stabbing him in the back, but _Grimmjow?_

Clearly Grimmjow was personally offended by this, as if looks could kill, Ulquiorra would have died many times over.

Ichigo’s attention was soon brought to Aizen, who was walking towards them, slowly clapping.

It seemed there weren’t any others in the room, but Ichigo was certain there were guards ready nearby in case some sort of trouble ignited.

”That was impressive, Kurosaki Ichigo; being able to damage our top ranking member that bad with just one hit. Your power has truly grown.”

He turns to look at Grimmjow with a slightly more miffed expression.

” _You_ on the other hand; not only you seem to have gotten weaker, but you have been quite the thorn on my flesh.”

The blunet flashes him a mad grin.

**_”Lemme out and we can make that literal.”_ **

Aizen just shakes his head and turns back towards Ichigo.

”Where’s Starrk?” Ichigo asks, gaining a lift eyebrow from the man.

”He is fine, we sent him to the medical bay in upper floors.”

Ichigo was relieved to hear that, a detail that clearly amused Aizen greatly.

”Your excessive empathy is quite the trait, but it can also be your downfall. It was quite foolish to believe my most loyal subordinate would betray me out of some long lost feelings for a man he was never going to get anyway.”

Aizen looks at Grimmjow with that same smug, amused smile that had both elementals wanting to punch his teeth in.

”Did you really think you’d be able to shake him with just few mere words, Jeagerjaquez? That you could pull on his heartstrings like a puppetmaster? Oh no.”

”If yer gonna have some dumb bad guy monologue, save it.” Grimmjow grunts at him, but Aizen ignores the blunet, clearly too eager to gloat at their faces.

”I wanted to see what you’d do, so I told Cifer to hold back and pretend to be reluctant, just to see what you’d do. As I expected, you tried to coax him to join you.”

Grimmjow says nothing, just glares at Ulquiorra, who kept his face blank.

”It was truly a heartfelt choice of words, almost brought tears in my eyes.” Aizen pretends to wipe something off from the corner of his eye to add insult to the injury.

”What was the point of that? Prolonging this whole thing, getting one of your subordinates hurt as badly as Starrk did? He’s a _father!_ ”

Ichigo questions the man, who just shrugs dismissively.

”He knew the risks when he joined us. Besides I fully believed he’d defeat you both, I was positively surprised to see you were even stronger than expected.”

The mad glint on his eyes was a sure sign of pure sociopath, and Ichigo struggled in his bindings, wanting to positively burn the light elemental’s sorry ass to ashes.

”Now that I have you both here, it is finally the time to finish my research.”

He walks to the nearby console, seemingly activating the machine. Ichigo felt fear grip his heart and he struggles even harder, whereas Grimmjow seemed resigned to his fate, still staring at the raven haired male with bitterness in his expression.

”I _meant_ what I said you know?”

He states quietly, and Ichigo could see Ulquiorra swallow visibly, even if he wasn’t looking at Grimmjow.

”I know.”

”Do not worry, this will be over fairly soon, and you both will die knowing you donated to a great cause.”

Grimmjow just snorts, rolling his eyes.

”Allowing ya to develop a super serum to create more monsters ain’t a good cause. It’s just your megalomaniac delusions comin’ ta life.”

Aizen just ignores him and starts the machine, and Ichigo could hear a strange humming sound appear around him.

Soon it was followed by an orange glow, that slowly turned white, and he watched in shock as the light was slowly sucked into the narrow pipe above him. It felt sort of like what Ulquiorra did, except instead of numbing his senses, his body began to feel feverish, his heart beating rapidly. It literally hurt, feeling as a part of your very being was slowly being torn from you, and Ichigo squirms, trying not to groan and whimper in pain.

Glancing at Grimmjow, he notices the blunet was completely still and quiet, and for a second he feared the man had already passed out or worse.

However, his eyes were open, strained but still alive, and in a moment of sardonic amusement, Ichigo realized that the man likely wasn’t suffering as much as he because he’d _already_ gone trough the worst possible pain imaginable to an elemental.

It was comforting in a weird way, to know that at least Grimmjow wasn’t in pain when he’d die this time.

”It seems your overload has made you immune to the unpleasant sensations.”

Aizen observes the same thing as Ichigo, both fascinated and slightly miffed.

Grimmjow says nothing, just leans his head back and closes his eyes, strangely peaceful.

Of course.

He’d been in this position before, so he wasn’t afraid.

Ichigo felt tears prickle his eyes, and he wished he could reach the blunet.

”Grimm....”

He manages to whisper in between pained flinches and hard breathing. The blue eyes open again, but he doesn’t look at Ichigo, his face blank.

”I...l love you.”

The blunet knew this already, Ichigo had said it before, but the ginger felt the need to say it one last time before death would consume him.

The blue eyes finally turn to look at him, and while he didn’t say anything, Ichigo could see the answer from his gaze.

Grimmjow had always had expressive eyes.

 

 

 

Suddenly, a warning message appears on Aizen’s screen, and he whips around, staring at it confused.

”What...?”

The next second, the machine began to shake, almost if it was overheating. Aizen quickly works to try and figure out what was the problem, but it was too late; Ichigo could feel the energy-flow reverse its course, and a large burst of energy shot back into him, it happened so quickly that for a moment all of his nerves were consumed by intense, burning pain, and he was no longer able to hold his voice in, groaning in agony as his own flames burned him. Then, there was a loud sound, and everything went quiet, with lights turning out. For a moment Ichigo was dazed, his nerve ends still on fire, but as he lifts his faze, he could see the faint green glow of the screen, with a giant red warning blinking on it.

”No, _no no no no!_ What is going on?!”

Aizen spats out, typing something furiously, but it was to no avail.

His machine was broken.

Ichigo was so dumbfounded by this coincidence, that all he could do was stare.

Finally, the brunet spins around, his eyes clearly searching for somebody to blame.

”Looks like yer toy is shit.” Grimmjow remarks, a flash of white teeth in the darkness.

Aizen just glares at him, then whips around to stare at Ulquiorra.

”It seems we have to use you after all. It will be slower, and requires extra steps, but can be done.”

Ulquiorra walks closer, glancing between his leader and the two.

”What are you waiting for? Perform your duty, Cifer!”

The green eyes drift back towards Grimmjow, and the blunet just stares at him stoic, his expression cold like ice. It was so chilly even Ichigo shuddered upon seeing it.

**”....No.”**

Aizen blinks, then frowns at the man.

”Did I hear you correctly?”

Ulquiorra turns towards him slowly, his haunted expression locked with Aizen’s eyes.

”I don’t much care for Kurosaki....but I cannot let you harm Grimmjow.”

That answer clearly baffled the man, as he demands Ulquiorra to explain himself.

”I suppose you wouldn’t understand, Aizen-Sama. It is not like you know how to love someone.”

”Cifer, we both know full well that this blue vermin never returned any of your affection. He was harsh and cruel towards you during later days, so I do not see why you feel the need to—”

Ulquiorra closes his eyes briefly with a sigh, his reaction cutting Aizen off mid-rant.

He then opens them, shadows swirling around him as new level of emotion appears into his voice. It was faint like everything regarding to feelings was with Ulquiorra, but the tone was still there.

For once, he sounded almost _passionate_ about something.

”Kurosaki is right; it doesn’t really matter how. Perhaps Grimmjow doesn’t want me the way I want him, but he still cares about me, enough to feel hurt when he thought I betrayed him.”

The green eyes now glance at the blunet, who was looking at him with a clear surprise in his face.

There was an apologetic note to the pale figure’s gaze, but before Grimmjow could even react, the gaze is turned away, and the whole area is drenched in shadows.

Seconds later, something shatters the glass and opens the bindings around Ichigo, allowing him to get off the damned thing.

Glancing aside, he spotted Grimmjow had done the same, and he reaches for the blunet, grasping his arm.

Grimmjow flinches in surprise at first, but relaxes as he realizes who was holding onto him. There was a sound of a struggle further away, and Ichigo could feel a hint of willingness to kill in the shadows surrounding them, though none of it was aimed at them. Glancing at Grimmjow, he could tell the blunet sensed it too, and was dumbfounded by the sensation.

 

Ulquiorra was never one to spill blood, he hated it, found it to be something below him.

 

They manage to take only few steps when a blinding white light suddenly appears, eradicating all the shadows around them.

” _Seriously,_ this is becoming a bloody theme!”

Grimmjow grumbles as he rubs his eyes, but his annoyance soon changes to shock and horror, as they see what had happened.

 

 

 

Aizen had moved to attack Ulquiorra, his hand jutting _straight trough_ the pale figure’s torso.

 

 

 

He was not uninjured either however, as Ulquiorra’s shadowy spear had managed to pierce his shoulder, likely having been aimed at the heart but missed.

”I suppose I underestimated you a little, Cifer, but it is time to put an end to this.”

Aizen pulls his hand back, and the pale figure collapses to the floor, covered in his own blood.

Aizen holds his shoulder miffed, but did not seem too concerned about the wound, just kicking Ulquiorra’s limp body aside, before pushing a button and calling security there.

Soon, they were surrounded by several men, all holding elemental paralyzers in hand.

”This puts a hitch on my plan, but it doesn’t matter too much; I’ll just make Szayel keep you two drugged while I figure out what happened with the machine.”

Grimmjow ignores Aizen’s babbling, and crouches down beside Ulquiorra, lifting his head gently on his lap.

The pale figure coughs out blood, the reddish hue standing out from his near white skin almost alarmingly well.

Green, hazed eyes look up at him, and he manages to smile, though it was a sad one.

_”I....I’m sorry. I suppose I should’ve known I’m not ....strong enough...to...”_

The blunet slams a hand to cover his mouth with a quiet snarl, and Ichigo could tell he was shaking.

”You stupid fuckin’ moron.”

Grimmjow mutters out, his fingers combing into the raven hair now, getting some of the blood there. Ichigo walks beside them too now, feeling all the weapons aimed at his back. He crouches down on the other side, feeling his stomach twist unpleasantly; the injury was bad.

Ulquiorra would die within few moments, the blood-loss was too great.

_”It’s...kind of amusing. No matter what I do, everything always... circles back to you.”_

The green eyes look at Grimmjow with a soft, exhausted smile, his already pale face slowly turning grey.

”The fuck’s that supposed ta mean?”

The blunet mutters quietly, petting his hair. Ichigo remained quiet, sensing this was a private moment between the two.

 

_”I...tried. To stop caring. I knew you didn’t...so I thought I could divert my mind away from it if I...but it didn’t work.”_

 

A weak, shaking hand raises up to gently brush Grimmjow’s cheek, and he grabs it, holding the cool limb in his hold wordlessly.

The gesture makes Ulquiorra smile a little, a genuine smile, before he coughs out more blood.

There is a slight, hesitant request in his eyes, and Grimmjow glances up at Ichigo wordlessly, as if asking permission.

The ginger just nods, feeling tears blister in his eyes.

He did not know this man much, but he could feel the silent, emotional _pain_ oozing from Grimmjow’s aura.

The blunet’s gaze drifts back at the dying man he was holding, and he leans down, gently pecking him on the lips.

The raven haired figure was clearly surprised that Grimmjow did it, but he was clearly happy, a single tear escaping from the corner of his eye.

 

 

 

After that, the green eyes dulled, and his body slumped, as last bits of life left him.

 

 

 

 

Ichigo wiped his eyes, his vision blurry.

”You truly have a nag at being such a sweetheart if you want to be.” Aizen comments mockingly, clearly amused by what he’d just seen.

Some of the guards surrounding them laughed, while others seemed confused about what had just happened. Ichigo felt blinding hot fury enter his system, as he stood up and turned to glare at Aizen.

Why was he so... _him?_

Why was this guy such a cold, calculative bastard that he’d fucking _laugh_ in a situation like this, even mocking Grimmjow for fulfilling his friend’s dying wish?

Ichigo felt his flames ignite around him, and sensed the guards behind him immediately fire their paralyzer blasts at him.

However, for some reason they **_didn’t work_**.

His flames, based on pure fury and hatred, burned too brightly that the technology designed to handle it just simply wasn’t enough.

This clearly surprised Aizen, and he actually takes a step back a little, as Ichigo starts edging closer to him.

”I recommend not doing this Kurosaki; even if their weapons can’t affect you, they can harm your precious little boyfriend.”

Ichigo just snorts, glancing at Grimmjow, noting his flames had already settled around the blunet, cocooning him and the body of the pale man he was still holding.

The blunet just looks up at him with a stoic look.

 

A guard fires a shot at Grimmjow, but the flames completely annihilate it, before charging at the group of guards as if it had a mind of it’s own, burning them and throwing them all aside like scorched rag-dolls.

 

Aizen begins to realize, that he might have made a miscalculation.

 

The blaze radiating from Ichigo spread swiftly all around the room, turning up the heat several degrees up.

The computers began to glitch and break down, their circuits melt, and the floor was also getting scorched now, the roof turning black and dripping molten metal and rock on the floor. The only place that seemed to be unaffected was where Grimmjow was sitting, protected by a bubble of elemental energy formed by Ichigo’s flames.

He had never truly appreciated just how _powerful_ Kurosaki could be, despite all the implications in Szayel's research.

It was a marvelous discovery, but he could do nothing with it if he was burned to death.

”Reconsider this, Kurosaki Ichigo; if you go on a rampage here, you may end up injuring dozens of innocent people.”

”It seems I can pick and choose who I target.”

Ichigo tells him simply, feeling his anger boil in him.

He was not murderous type, that was more Grimmjow’s forte, but he was so incredibly **_mad_** right now, Ichigo wasn’t sure if he was fully in control of himself.

”Interesting. You seem to have more natural control over your power when comparing to Starrk.”

” _Like you have the right to speak his name like he’s some lab rat!_ You were basically blackmailing a father to work for your bullshit cause!”

Aizen frowns, then straightens himself, which was quite a feat despite the heat around him.

”Blackmailing? I offered to aid his troubled child! He accepted my offer in his own terms!”

”Ya weren’t gonna help the kid anyway.” Grimmjow comments from behind them, making Ichigo look at him for a brief moment.

”What makes you think I wouldn’t have? I did offer my support to you ungrateful vermin, and all I get in return is your atrocious attitude, and you destroying my property!”

Ichigo’s vision flashes white, and without thinking, he lets out a fierce cry, throwing an immense amount of flames at the figure, so much so that everything behind Aizen just **_evaporated._**

His anger took even Grimmjow by surprise, and he stares at the panting, heaving fire elemental with slight unease nudging in his brain.

 _Shit,_ had Kurosaki been THIS strong when they met, he’d been six feet under much sooner.

As the flames dissipate from around them, there was nothing left in the spot where the machine and the computer was, nothing but ashes, small bits of scrap and melted metal.

Except, Aizen was still there.

Well, almost.

Ichigo now realized that it was a _hologram_ of sorts, given how Aizen glitched strangely, like he was an image on a broken computer-screen.

The man was still holding his injured, bleeding side Ulquiorra had pierced.

_Of course._

He was a light metahuman-level elemental, so he must’ve teleported himself away sometime during their conversation. 

Ichigo was fairly surprised the man had been able to do so even in his injured state, which spoke volumes of his power. The only reason he had not used a hologram from the start was because he needed to physically be there to use the machine.

Apparently the man did not trust anybody else to be able to do it.

Suddenly, they could hear a rumbling sound from above, and the whole building shook now.

_”What the hell?!”_

Grimmjow asks, looking around alarmed. The vision-Aizen laughs, clearly amused by something.

_”It seems .......the fights you’ve had around there have damaged some key supportive points in the laboratory. It’s .......going to collapse.”_

Ichigo looks at Grimmjow alarmed, and was met with equally wide-eyed gaze.

_”Too bad, it seems I have to start my research from the beginning. Oh well.”_

Hologram-Aizen shrugs, trying to hide his flinching as the wound in his shoulder protested, giving them a very cold smile.

_”Farewell, it was a pleasure to meet—”_

Suddenly he freezes, and Ichigo watches in slight shock as more red appears, this time on Aizen’s chest. He looks down baffled, then starts to collapse. His hologram disappears a second before he hits the floor.

”What the....”

Before either of them could process just what the hell they just saw, the building rumbles again, and Ichigo realizes they didn’t have much time.

”We gotta get out of here!”

Grimmjow nods and gets up, but then his eyes land back on the lifeless body on his feet. He couldn’t.... ”We can’t take him with us.” Ichigo tells him solemnly; as much as he hated the idea, they did not have time to carry the lifeless body with them. After a long moment of silence, Grimmjow nods and crouches down, closing Ulquiorra’s eyelids gently, before giving him another kiss to the forehead.

After that, he looks up at Ichigo wordlessly, and they both run out of the room, using their senses to search for the nearest exit.

The pathway was slowly collapsing behind them, and Ichigo narrowly avoided being hit in the head by falling debris.

”There!”

Grimmjow points at a staircase ahead, which he could tell led out of the laboratory complex given the obnoxiously obvious emergency stairs sign above it.

Before they could reach it however, more debris falls and lands on him.

Ichigo skids to a halt, shocked to see the man’s leg was now stuck under the pile.

”Just fucking _go!_ ”

Grimmjow tells him, but Ichigo shakes his head, and hurries back, grabbing the slab and attempting to pull it off him.

”You don’t have time, get outta here!”

The blunet snarls at him, but Ichigo couldn’t hear him trough the white noise in his head.

”Can’t you turn into lightning?!”

”Not when this badly injured, moron! Just go!”

No, Ichigo was not leaving him here to die, and it was clearly visible on his face given the frustrated huff Grimmjow gave him.

Then, he remembers how his flames had been able to protect Grimmjow before.

Ichigo ignites his flames again and covers the blunet with his body, bringing out as much power as he could, all of it wrapped around them in a concentrated ball of energy.

The blunet just stares up at him in light shock, yelling at Ichigo trough the noise that it wouldn’t be enough with this much shit falling onto them.

”I don’t care! I’m not letting you die! I didn’t want it then and I don’t want it _now!_ ”

Ichigo spats right back in his face, feeling tears drop down his cheek.

It was kind of weird, how they were able to stay liquid despite the heat around them.

Grimmjow just stares at him, then lets out a frustrated groan, slanting their lips together in a fierce, bruising kiss before closing his eyes and focusing, feeding his own power into the bubble covering them from the falling rock and debris.

Blue mixed in with white, and Ichigo could now feel properly how it was like to have two elemental auras merge.

He could see why Aizen wanted to find a way to do this; the feeling of power was _incredible,_ an intense kind of high that Ichigo could’ve enjoyed had they not been in a life or death situation.

The noise around them was so loud and deafening, but as they kept gazing at each other, all the two could hear was their own heartbeats.

Debris kept falling on them, but it was dissolved into ash almost instantly, or melted to a pile of metallic liquid the second it touched the intensely burning cocoon around the two.

Ichigo couldn’t stop but smile a bit, despite the direness of the situation; no matter how much Aizen would’ve tried, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve his goal.

You needed to be able to connect with others in a level he wasn’t able to, if you wanted to share one’s power with the other.

The rumbling sound around them quieted down briefly, leaving their ears ringing.

”The fuck’re ya grinning at?”

Grimmjow asks roughly with an amused tone, indicating he knew what Ichigo was thinking.

He could _literally_ hear and feel what was going trough the ginger’s head right now, thanks to the way their elemental powers had combined to protect them.

Grimmjow could’ve sworn he could hear the sound of their auras, the songs so to say, to synchronize into this harmonious humming. It was such a weird thought to have when you were very likely to die in just a moment, but the blunet couldn’t stop grinning back at the ginger above him.

Fuck, he _loved_ this little shit, so fucking much.

Then, the floor under them gave away, and the two fell into the chaos beneath.


	21. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recovering Ichigo

He felt numb.

Everything was dark around him, and his head was buzzing.

Ichigo could hear faint sounds from around him. The ginger began to realize a few things.

First; he was alive, given his body hurt like a _bitch._

Second; he was lying on something soft, indicating he was not stuck under a pile of rubble.

Struggling against the weight of sleep, he manages to open his eyes, but had to close them instantly as everything around him felt too bright.

A familiar voice called out to him, and Ichigo turned his head towards the voice.

After an agonizingly long moment, Ichigo was able to open his eyes again, and he was confronted with wide, worried gray eyes looking at him.

It was Rukia, and she looked seconds away from smacking him and then squeezing him to death.

Before she could do either however, more people appear in the room, and Ichigo is confronted by a horde of concerned people, including Renji, Orihime, Tatsuki and his family. Urahara joined in too after each of them had had a round of either bawling their eyes out over him, or scolding him for worrying them.

”Morning, Kurosaki-san.”

”What...happened?”

”Barragan’s house began to collapse all of a sudden. I am guessing you and your companion had something to do with it.”

Urahara clearly chose not to mention Grimmjow’s name in front of Ichigo’s friends - especially his family - but the ginger didn’t care, as he attempts to sit up, demanding to know where Grimmjow was, before being forced back down again with the combined power of Tatsuki and Rukia, which was actually overkill when it came to use of force, given how weak Ichigo was feeling.

Rukia alone would have been fine, but having Tatsuki push him down as well, Ichigo was surprised he didn't break bones or go straight trough the damn bed.

 ”We do not know.”

Ichigo’s heart sank, but before he could say anything, Urahara holds a hand up and asks others to leave them alone for a moment.

The group eventually agrees, though some of them were miffed about it, glancing at Ichigo still concerned. Once they were alone, Urahara sits on the free chair beside his bed backwards, like last time he’d been in the hospital.

”We found you two amidst the rubble as rescue-teams dug into it. They found this strange, warm rock and metal orb, and when they cracked it, a burst of energy escaped from it, nearly burning their pants off.”

Ichigo could imagine that must have been _quite_ the sight, a bunch of rescue workers in their underwear, sitting around a glowing orb.

”You both were relatively unharmed, though unconscious. Jeagerjaquez’ leg was also broken.”

Right, a slab of concrete had fallen on it, preventing him from escaping.

”Where is he now? You said...”

Urahara sighs, and glances at the empty bed beside Ichigo’s.

”He was here, but disappeared the next morning. I am guessing he needed some time for himself. Plus, being a former wanted criminal, being around this many guard officers had to have been uncomfortable.”

Ichigo turns to look at the bed too, feeling miffed that he’d been left behind again.

”He left you this.”

Urahara hands Ichigo a note, which took him a while to read as he was still dizzy.

 

 

**_”Not dead. Don’t freak out. M’gonna be back in a bit. Get better sake this time. - G”_ **

 

 

Ichigo couldn’t stop but snort and roll his eyes, although a huge weight was lifted from his chest.

The smile fades soon however, as he recollects the events leading up to the point of them having to use their powers to survive the collapse.

”Aizen...Gin! _Gin_ was the rat who’d snuck into our ranks!”

Urahara nods, glancing towards the door to make sure nobody was listening in.

”Gin was a double-agent.”

Ichigo blinks, staring at Urahara dumbfounded.

”But he was the one who...”

”...Helped you to be kidnapped, yes. He had to do that to avert suspicion. Honestly none of us expected Azen to be holding you for so long; we all assumed it was for some brief Intel on the case, and then he’d try to dispose of you, which we already had a plan for your rescue. Unfortunately things went differently than we expected.”

Ichigo just stares at the man.

”We?”

”He worked for the same branch as Yoruichi. His job was to get close to Aizen and avoid suspicion, until he’d find a weak spot where to strike. That did mean he had to do some unpleasant things he normally wouldn’t do.”

”....Why did he then suddenly come and aid me? Wouldn’t that have blown his cover?”

”It was part of the plan. Helping you escape created enough diversion - alongside the havoc Jeagerjaquez’ presence was causing - gave him time to perform his main task.”

Ichigo frowns confused, then his mind’s gears start to turn.

”The machine Aizen put us in....it stopped working.”

Urahara just nods.

”He sabotaged it while his leader was busy following you two around.”

”....He was also shot. We could not see who shot him, as Aizen was using a hologram to talk to us, but...”

Urahara nods again.

”That was also Gin. It was the idea from the start that he’d assassinate Aizen. Having this rescue operation going on gave him the opportunity, as it made Sousuke drop his guard.”

Ichigo frowns, feeling slightly miffed now; so the whole deal had just been a part of a bigger plan?

”Did you plan the collapse too? We almost died!”

This is when Urahara casts his gaze downwards, looking _sincerely_ apologetic.

”We... did not expect that. We were aware that you two could likely cause some destruction with any potential fights you’d end up in, but we never thought...”

The man sighs and rubs his eyes, then smiles a bit at Ichigo.

”Believe me, I am mortified that I overlooked this possibility, and I am glad you both are alive.”

Ichigo wanted to be mad at the man, he really did, but couldn’t.

With a sigh, Ichigo slumps back against the pillow.

”So where is Gin now?”

”He had to go hiding, as there are several people with connections to Aizen that would likely want him dead once they hear about this.”

”Tell me that crazy fucker really is _dead._ ”

It was slightly out of character for Ichigo to say such a thing, but he just wanted this whole shit-show to end, and it seemed like Aizen could only be stopped with death, as much as Ichigo hated the finality of that thought.

Urahara couldn’t stop but hum amused at Ichigo’s remark; he sounded a lot like Jeagerjaquez at the moment.

”Yes. His body was found, alongside the bodies of several other people I am afraid; we managed to arrest that other man who kidnapped you as he survived as well, but Szayel is still at large somewhere.”

Ichigo was miffed hearing about szayel, but you couldn't always have everything.

Then, he felt his mouth go dry, and he was almost scared to ask this.

”Was there..,a burned looking older man amongst them?”

Urahara gazes at him confused for a moment, then seems to connect the dots.

”We did find a man like that, who survived the collapse. He was muttering about a daughter or so.”

Ichigo almost let out a choked gasp and he covered his mouth, embarrassed. He was _so_ glad the old man had survived, he really hadn’t seemed like a bad person.

”I assume you had a run in with this man?”

”Yeah, I...he got burned because of me. I went overboard. He’s not a bad guy, just...”

Ichigo sighs and shakes his head. ”He has a daughter, who’s a lightning elemental like Grimm. She was also born with too much power.”

This causes Urahara’s eyebrows to hit his hairline, and then a slight smile appears on his face, as he understood where Ichigo was heading.

”I’ll talk to him about his daughter once he is in a better shape.”

Ichigo just nods, starting to feel sleepy now that most of his worries had been unloaded.

”You should definitely rest some more, we can catch up later.”

Ichigo barely registered Urahara leaving the room, as he was already out cold.

 

 

 

Ichigo was not allowed to go home until a week later, as he had used up so much energy his body was extremely exhausted. Just sitting up took a lot of effort. Even when he did get to go home, he was forced onto a wheelchair again, though not because his legs were mangled beyond belief; they were simply still too weak to hold his weight.

Ichigo had told the whole story to his friends eventually, and apologized to Tatsuki for losing her phone.

She shook her head and patted his, telling the ginger that as long as he was safe it was fine, she could just get a new one. The ginger was still too hesitant about telling her and Inoue about his relationship with Grimmjow, but it seemed like the girls caught on to it throughout his story, as he recalled the whole thing from when Grimmjow found him, to when he’d woken up in the hospital.

”Huh. Didn’t know that guy could be decent.”

Tatsuki had concluded in the end, gaining a slight agreeing nod from Rukia, who already sort of knew the story, at least the thing with Ichigo and Grimmjow.

Ichigo just shrugs, figuring this was already a lot to process so he didn’t have much else to say.

”W-well, I am happy he kept you relatively safe.”

Inoue comments after a moment, offering him a smile. Ichigo just nods slightly, smiling back at her awkwardly.

The ginger chose not to tell his family about the whole thing yet, though he knew he’d eventually have to, as they’d been worried sick.

Isshin had even insisted on driving him to their family home instead of Ichigo’s apartment, wanting the boy to stay with them for a week or so.

Ichigo honestly just wanted some peace and quiet, but he didn’t have the heart to turn his dad down. If anything, doing so would have been heartless, given how terrified his family had been for him. So, Ichigo spent next couple of days sleeping beside his sisters, allowing them to cuddle him in their sleep, clinging to him like they feared their big brother would poof and disappear if they let go.

The ginger felt extremely bad for making them worry, and even _more_ guilty when his thoughts just kept drifting back at Grimmjow.

He knew he should be focusing on spending time with his family, but... he was _worried._

He hadn’t seen hair nor hide from Grimmjow, and knowing how much the bastard stalked him, he had to know where Ichigo was.

He could have at least thrown a rock at him or something, to acknowledge that he was there.

”You’ve been awfully quiet, Ichi-nii.”

Yuzu suddenly comments, startling him out of his thoughts, and the ginger turns to look at his sister, rubbing his head awkwardly. They were sitting on the living room couch, watching Yuzu’s favorite cartoon, and the girl had cuddled up beside her brother, but was now looking up at him concerned.

”It’s.. nothing to worry about.”

” _It is!_ I can tell something bothers you. You can tell us what it is.”

Yuzu informs him, poking his chest.

Ichigo flinches as his body was still sore, and the ginger girl gasps and apologizes profusely, but Ichigo just rubs his chest, telling her it was okay.

”I just... while I was...missing. There was this person who helped me. I don’t know where he is, so I’m worried about him.”

”Why?”

Ichigo bites his lip, wondering how he should word this.

”He...lost someone important right in front of his eyes. He’s probably still mourning, and I just...I don’t know, I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

”Can’t you like, call him or so? Or didn’t he give you his number?”

Yuzu asks, and Ichigo shakes his head, informing her he didn’t really use a phone that much. Yuzu hums, holding her chin thoughtfully.

”Can’t you ask your police friends to find him?”

Ichigo shakes his head and smiles.

”He said he’d come by eventually, but likely he’ll wait until I go back to my own place, giving us some space as a family.”

Yuzu frowns, then a slight mischievous glint appears in her eyes, and Ichigo knew he’d worded himself poorly.

”That kind of sounds like you not being ready to bring your boyfriend to see your family.”

Ichigo splutters, his face flushing, and he rubs his neck, looking aside.

The girl giggles and then pats his chest - gentler this time - telling her brother that it was fine, and she wouldn’t tell Karin or dad, not until Ichigo was ready to come out himself.

”Just so you know, its fine that it’s a boy.”

She adds after a moment, likely wondering if Ichigo’s reluctance was over such a silly issue.

Ichigo _knew_ it would be fine, his family had never been one to judge others over things like this.

He had a feeling they’d be a bit more judgmental about it being a _criminal._

Former, but still.

 

 

 

Eventually, Ichigo gets to go to his apartment, and as promised, he gets himself a bottle of sake - though the same brand as usual, just because he could and Grimmjow was an _ass_ anyway so he deserved it - and places it to the table.

Rukia had been the one to bring him there again, and she glanced at the bottle, but this time wasn’t concerned about it, knowing whom it was for as Ichigo had shown her the note.

He was honestly glad she was being a bit more understanding about this than one would expect, though he had no doubts that if Grimmjow attempted to harm him, Rukia would find dozens of ways to end him with a _**very**_ chilly death.

”When do you think he’ll show up?”

”Usually when I least expect it.”

Ichigo tells her with a shrug, managing to put the coffee on for her and himself even when in a wheelchair.

”It’s still... bizarre to think. He treated you so poorly in the beginning.”

It was not an accusatory or judgmental tone, just an observation.

Ichigo shrugs, knowing how crazy it was.

 _Everything_ about Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez was a little loopy.

He’d learned not to dwell in it.

 

 

Eventually Rukia left Ichigo by himself, and he passed the time by watching TV and chatting to his sisters trough his phone for a bit.

Soon enough though, he put his phone away and cuddled under the blanket, wearing only his boxers right now.

Slowly, the ginger drifted to sleep, still exhausted from his ordeal.

Part of him should have been paranoid perhaps, to fall asleep there alone just like that, but subconsciously he knew somebody was watching.

Someone he trusted.

 

 

 

The ginger woke to the feeling of someone lifting his blanket, and a moment later, warm weight settled on top of him, nose nuzzling against the crook of his neck.

Ichigo didn’t even bother opening his eyes, he just feels for the blanket - noting the man was not wearing a shirt either and was a little damp, likely having taken a shower as even his hair was moist, pressing against his cheek - and tugs it over them both, happily nesting underneath the warm weight, arms tightly locked around the blue haired figure.

It was _really_ comfortable even if the bastard was heavy.

 

 

The second time he woke up, Ichigo felt lips trail down his neck, and he tilted his head with a slight, pleased hum.

Grimmjow didn’t react much to the sound, just nipped his skin a bit, before flicking his tongue over the marred spot.

Ichigo felt those kisses travel down his shoulder, down his chest, and Grimmjow nuzzles his stomach a bit, making the ginger snicker lightly, then hum again as the blunet trailed a line alongside his waistband with his tongue.

”Not the worst awakening I’ve had.”

Ichigo chuckles quietly as Grimmjow shifts up, gazing down at him quietly for a moment. The ginger's smile fades a little as he sees the blank expression on the man’s face.

He reaches out and gently brushes the few escaped strands of hair off Grimmjow’s face.

”I’m sorry.”

Ichigo whispers quietly, knowing what bothered the man.

There was nothing either of them could’ve done at that point.

The blunet sighs after a moment, then scoots back, bringing the blanket with him and exposing Ichigo to the cool evening air in the room completely, making him shiver.

That unpleasantness did not last long as Grimmjow suddenly grabs his leg, shifting so it was no longer pinned under him, and lifts it over his shoulder, pressing a slight kiss right above his knee.

Ichigo’s shivers turned from chilly to _hot,_ and he watches the man trail a line of kisses down his thigh, then sweeping back up with his tongue.

Suddenly, even his boxers were too much clothing.

”Why ta wheelchair?”

Grimmjow suddenly asks, muttering the words against his skin, before turning to look down at Ichigo, his eyes slightly darkened.

”Still too weak to hold my own weight. Pathetic I know.”

Ichigo laughs a bit, then gasps as the blunet’s lips press against his thigh again.

 _Damn it_ , it seemed that in this weakened state his legs were even more sensitive than usual, a detail Grimmjow was clearly more than happy to exploit.

Not that the ginger minded anyway.

Ichigo allows the blunet to get rid of rest of his clothing, and answers the fervent kiss pressed on his lips with equal heat. After that Grimmjow scoots back again, and Ichigo closes his eyes, allowing the man to work his magic.

 

 

 

Ichigo noted Grimmjow was being gentler than usual, not biting or scratching him like he normally would, and his pace was slow as well.

The ginger was fairly sure it wasn’t just because he mentioned his weakened state; likely the blunet was doing this for comfort and closeness rather than pleasure, still weighed down by the death of his last friend from childhood.

Just because the pace was slow, it did not mean it didn’t feel good though, and Ichigo still found himself letting out tiny sounds of pleasure every now and then, the fingers of his left hand mingled firmly into the blue hair.

Eventually, he could feel his companion stiffen as he reached his peak, and Ichigo tugged his head back enough to kiss him trough it.

After that, Grimmjow collapses on top of him again, panting, and Ichigo tightens his grip around the blunet, feeling perfectly sated.

For a moment they just lied there in silence.

”Why’d he have ta do that?”

”He wanted to save you.”

Grimmjow sighs and nuzzles closer to Ichigo, holding onto him tightly.

”He should’ve known he’d fail. The fucker is too slippery.”

Ichigo says nothing, knowing the blunet was just rambling, likely going trough the scenario in his head wondering if he could’ve somehow prevented it. After a moment of frustrated words, Grimmjow abruptly falls silent, and Ichigo could feel him start to shake.

Without a word, he guided the man to rest his face against the crook of his neck and the blunet complied, letting out a frustrated, shaky huff as tears finally poured over.

Ichigo just pet his blue hair soothingly, allowing the man to have his breakdown in silence.

”I fuckin’....I _told_ him I didn’t wanna lose another one. Why ya fuckers _never_ listen ta me?”

”I guess you attract stubborn bastards to you.”

Ichigo comments softly, and Grimmjow goes quiet for a moment, making Ichigo worry that was the wrong thing to say. After a moment however the man lets out a deep sigh and chuckles quietly, though his voice still sounded shaky.

Ichigo smiles a little and nuzzles his hair, planting a kiss there that gained an approving hum from Grimmjow.

”....They found his body.”

”So I’ve heard.”

Ichigo had indeed been mentioned by Renji that they had also found the body of the ’shadow bastard’ that had helped to take him from the cottage, to which Ichigo had smacked his friend and told the confused pineapple to not call Ulquiorra that.

”Nel and Harribel asked ta bury him properly, near ta orphanage we came from.”

Ichigo remains quiet, just keeps petting the now slightly messed up strands. He brings his bith hands up to softly untangle them, and could hear Grimmjow almost starting to purr under the touch.

”Did you go there?”

Grimmjow just nods.

”It was weird, but... there was this white cat, curled ’round an on top his grave. Kinda looked like Pantera. Maybe it as one of ’er kittens all grown up.”

”Given how long ago that was, maybe rather a grandchild?”

”Hell if I know.”

Grimmjow snorts, then falls quiet again.

”I heard Stark agreed ta let his kiddo be Urahara’s lab rat.”

”You mean patient; Urahara is not like Aizen.”

The blunet grumbles under his breath, and Ichigo couldn’t stop but chuckle, honestly understanding where he was coming from: the sand blond haired man could be a bit much at times, and that was putting it _lightly._

”....Have you considered it? I mean...Urahara did imply he could, and would want to help you too.”

Grimmjow shakes his head firmly and lifts his head enough to look down at Ichigo with a frown.

”I NEED my madness to be able to deal with yer fucking bullshit.”

Ichigo just laughs and slaps his chest playfully, gaining a slight smirk from the blunet.

For a moment they just gaze at each other, then Grimmjow shifts and rolls so Ichigo was pinned between him and the back of the couch. The ginger didn’t resist at all, nesting his head against Grimmjow’s warm chest, feeling quite comfy right now.

The blunet rolls his eyes but then just rests his chin atop Ichigo’s head, nuzzling the fier hair a bit.

”...Ya seriously need a haircut.”

He mutters out, tangling his long fingers into the orange hair, combing trough it a couple of times.

”Haven’t had time yet.”

Ichigo shrugs with an amused smirk, knowing full well Grimmjow loved it how his hair reached his shoulders, as he could tug on them easier.

 

 

 

”I heard Nel and Harribel will also be staying in the place that kid is. Apparently the boy needed some more maternal company: Starrk’s girl is...quite eccentric apparently.”

Ichigo breaks the silence again, and Grimmjow snorts, rolling his eyes.

 

 

 _”Noticed.”_ His tone was laced with a hint of fondness.

”Nel gave me her number by the way; she wanted me to tell how you were once you bothered to show up.”

”Ya can tell her that I don’t _need_ a fucking babysitter.”

Ichigo laughs, figuring that such an answer would be the best kind of signal that Grimmjow was fine.

There was another moment of silence, where Ichigo just enjoyed the hand combing trough his hair, nuzzling closer against the warm skin. However as silence mounted, there was another question burning in his mind, a question Ichigo was eventually forced to voice out.

”What are you going to do now?”

Grimmjow remained quiet for a long time, long enough to make Ichigo fidget nervously. Eventually, he answers.

”Dunno. It’s... weird to not have to chase after Aizen anymore. Since I’m also considered dead by the guard, there’s no cops coming after my ass either.”

”Clean slate huh?” Ichigo hums, planting a soft kiss against Grimmjow’s collarbone.

The man shudders lightly as he feels it, and holds onto his ginger tighter, nuzzling firmly against his hair for a moment to breathe in Ichigo’s scent.

”Not really. Just cause legally they can’t do shit as long as I’m labeled dead, it doesn’t take away what I’ve done.”

Ichigo couldn’t disagree with that, but he also didn’t want the man to dwell in the past.

So, he shifts up, planting both hands against the warm chest and kisses Grimmjow firmly but gently, hoping he could make the man forget about this train of thought for a moment.

The blunet grunts and responds to the gesture a bit more roughly than earlier, tugging on the orange locks to expose Ichigo’s throat, nipping the skin there.

The ginger shudders a bit, feeling his nether region stir again. He’d been so worried about the blunet for the past weeks or so, that having him _right_ there right now seemed to mean his body wanted to be manhandled by Grimmjow as often as possible.

By manhandled Ichigo was referring to what they’d done earlier, and it didn’t even have to be rough like it was right now.

Eventually though, Grimmjow pulls away from his mouth and flops on his back, staring at the ceiling.

Ichigo rests his head on his shoulder, planting a hand on top of his chest, watching it rise and fall alongside Grimmjow’s breathing.

”...Just so you know, you always have a place here.”

Ichigo comments softly, and the blue eyes glance at him.

”That’s a shitty fucking idea in the eyes of many given our history.”

”Since when have you cared about what others think?”

”You do.”

The ginger goes quiet; he couldn’t deny that he was a little antsy about this whole deal when it came to some of his friends, let alone his family.

But, he just... couldn’t bear the thought of Grimmjow ditching him like that, let alone him doing the same. After everything they went trough, after all the things he’d told the man, trying to get him to see himself in a better light... After all the intimate moments and the confessions, he just couldn’t walk away from this.

”I’ve been good at making people see the good side of others.”

Grimmjow snorts and rolls his eyes, but then nuzzles into the orange locks, figuring the ginger had a point.

The whole reason why the shorty was more mellow towards him was mainly because she trusted Ichigo’s judgment.

And Ichigo was right, _he_ didn’t care what others thought.

Aside from the ginger himself that was.

”Stay, at least for the month I’m having a leave to recover from all this.”

Ichigo’s eyes were wide, almost puppy-like, and Grimmjow couldn’t stop but laugh.

It wasn’t a mocking laugh, but a fond one.

”Fine. But yer gonna need _better_ sake than that one bottle there.”

Grimmjow smirks, nodding at the offending object on Ichigo’s table.

The ginger huffs out a sigh of defeat, and promises to get him a better drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand  
> There you have it  
> This story is done now.  
> It took a while, but I finally made it. Now I can put my full fic writing focus on that other one I'm working on.  
> Thank you again for all the kudos and comments, I GREATLY appreciate them, and I am happy to see so many people liked this au of mine. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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